{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://costello.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/us-rep-costello-visits-2-downingtown-schools-support-stem-programs", "U.S. Rep. Costello visits 2 Downingtown schools to support STEM programs", "2016-12-07", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "PA", "Ryan Costello", "C001106", "costello.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "DOWNINGTOWN >> U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello recently visited two Downingtown schools in support of STEM \u2013 science, technology, engineering and math \u2013 education.\nCostello, R-6, of West Goshen, visited the Technical College High School (TCHS) Brandywine Campus where students asked him to help support their STEM programs with H.R. 5168. Costello attended a ceremony honoring TCHS Brandywine local robotics team \u201cOut of the Box.\u201d At that time, the students presented him with a hard-copy of the bill to read. He signed it.\n\u201cThis isn\u2019t the official bill signing but I want to let you know that this is something I will plan on co-sponsoring once I get back to Washington,\u201d Costello said during his visit.\nHe made good on his promise and co-sponsored the bill.\nH.R. 5168 proposes to have the Department of the Treasury print a dollar silver coin in memory of Christa McAuliffe, a teacher who was onboard the space shuttle Challenger when it exploded in 1986. A portion of the proceeds raised from the memorial coin would go toward FIRST, a nonprofit organization helping young people discover and develop a passion for science, engineering, technology and math.\nCostello said he is proud to co-sponsor the Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act because it promotes and supports the importance of STEM education and extracurricular programs.\n\u201cThe Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act is a great example of how Congress can support and advance STEM education and careers,\u201d Costello said. \u201cProceeds created from this bill would go towards programs that encourage STEM, like the successful CCIU (Chester County Intermediate Unit) program that I was fortunate to spend time learning more about.\u201d\nAs a member of FIRST, Out of the Box members were thrilled to gain Costello\u2019s support for H.R. 5168.\n\u201cWe were so honored to have Rep. Costello take the time out of his busy schedule to come out and be a part of our recognizing TCHS Brandywine for their contributions towards helping out team,\u201d team mentor Jerry Beauchamp said in a statement. \u201cIt was especially great that he agreed to co-sponsor the bill which will continue to help young people pursuing STEM related careers.\u201d\nOut of the Box Robotics Team 7244 is made up of middle school and high school students from seven schools in Chester County. Since the team is not affiliated with a school, finding a place to practice and build their robots was a challenge during the past two years.\n\u201cAt one point we needed to go to McDonald\u2019s in order to use their Wi-Fi for our coding and programming components,\u201d said team mentor William Barker.\nBeauchamp asked TCHS Brandywine officials to help the team find a place to practice, which they did to continue supporting the school\u2019s STEM programs.\n\u201cTCHS Brandywine was extremely supportive and generous in allowing us to use this space,\u201d Beauchamp said. \u201cIt has had such a great impact on the team to have a consistent place to meet and have access to all the materials, tools and resources necessary to be competitive in robotics.\u201d\nAfter showing Costello a demonstration of the team\u2019s robot, the team members presented TCHS Brandywine Principal Frank McKnight with two certificates of appreciation. McKnight reaffirmed TCHS Brandywine\u2019s support.\n\u201cIt is our pleasure as part of the Chester County Intermediate Unit to support the team in any way that we can,\u201d McKnight said. \u201cIt\u2019s our goal here at TCHS Brandywine to support STEM activities in our area and we are glad to be of help.\u201d\nCostello toured TCHS Brandywine and the Downingtown STEM Academy. He talked with STEM freshman and sophomores, of the Downingtown Area School District, during an assembly. Rep. Costello noted he has been a strong supporter of STEM legislation in Congress that provides pathways for students to study and gain these skillsets.\n\u201cStudents ability to access STEM education or programs, where they will learn skills that are valuable to employers around the world and to institutions of higher education, is critically important,\u201d said Costello, a member of the STEM Caucus. \u201cI\u2019m proud to advocate for these initiatives that will help equip Pennsylvania students with 21st century tools.\u201d\nHe encourages students to participate in the annual Congressional App Challenge, which is a competition where students develop a software app.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://costello.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/us-rep-costello-visits-2-downingtown-schools-support-stem-programs"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8232071995735168, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}