FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: December 2, 2014
Contact: Jill Harrison
(405) 601-2757
XTO Energy Donates $25,000 to OERB for New Oklahoma Math Curriculum
Oklahoma City, Dec. 2, 2014 –Thanks to a generous $25,000 donation from XTO Energy, the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board (OERB) has developed a new curriculum geared toward middle school mathematics. The new curriculum is related to the oil and natural gas industry, is hands-on and meets Oklahoma state standards for math.
The OERB currently offers eight state-standard aligned curriculum options for students, but prior to this donation, was only able to offer a math program at the high school level. This donation has allowed the OERB to create a math curriculum for students in grades 6 – 8.
“Thanks to the generosity of XTO Energy, we can now expand our math curriculum to include the middle school level,” said Carla Schaeperkoetter, education director. “This is something we had always hoped to do. The students will learn math concepts important in the energy industry, but in a fun, hands-on way.”
The new curriculum iscalled Rockin’ Ratios and was developed, reviewed and edited by a team of Oklahoma educators. The program will be field tested in early 2015 in 25 middle school math classrooms around the state. After initial testing, it will then be offered at the OERB teacher workshops for those teachers who want to be trained to use the curriculum in their classrooms. The curriculum introduces students to concepts such as algebraic reasoning, ratios and proportional relationships. The math kits, worth approximately $600, will be available free to teachers at the end of the training.
“XTO Energy and our parent company ExxonMobil encourage the pursuit of math and science through a variety of programs and partnerships,” said Mike Todd, Public and Government Affairs Regional Manager, Mid-Continent Division, XTO Energy. “We appreciate the work that the OERB has done to make these areas of study a fun, hands-on experience for Oklahoma students.We are pleased to partner with them to expand their quality program that puts science and math fluency on the fast track to make a difference in our children’s lives and our nation’s future.”
“The work that we do wouldn’t be possible without the support of industry partners such as XTO Energy,” said Schaeperkoetter. “Their generosity will allow us to reach the next generation of industry professionals with crucial math concepts.”
XTO Energy Inc., a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation, is a leading natural gas and oil producer in the U.S. with expertise in developing tight gas, shale gas, coal bed methane and unconventional oil resources. XTO has operations in all major U.S. producing regions.
The OERB offers a total of eight curricula to teachers: Little Bits is for students in kindergarten through 2nd grade, Fossils to Fuel 1 and Fossils to Fuel 2 is for 3rd through 5th grade, Petro Active is for middle school students in 6th through 8th grade, and Core Energy is for high school students and has four different focus areas: math, science, social studies and language arts. Teachers who complete a curricula in the classroom will be offered a free field trip for their students. Teachers interested in finding out more information about the OERB’s education programs are invited to visit