Bosch awards $11,000 to Central Noble Community School Corporation for international STEM program

- Destination Imagination is an international competition that encourages students to develop creative solutions to challenges in the technical, scientific, fine arts, improvisational, structural and community service areas - Destination Imagination fosters innovation and leadership in students - In the past year, Bosch has committed an additional $35,000 to support the Noble County community school districts ALBION, Indiana – The Bosch Community Fund (BCF) today awarded an $11,000 grant to the Central Noble Community School Corporation to support its participation in the Destination Imagination (DI) program. DI is a program that encourages student teams to solve challenges presented to them, while incorporating STEM concepts, the arts and learning through community service. The grant will support Central Noble’s student teams throughout the program as they create solutions on their own for one of the program’s challenges. DI teaches the creative process from imagination to innovation. Participants learn patience, flexibility, persistence, ethics and respect for others and their ideas through a collaborative problem-solving process. The ultimate goal of the program is to help student teams learn to be creative in every aspect of their lives while inspiring and equipping them to become the next generation of innovators and leaders. “At Bosch, innovation is integral to what we do,” said Michael Sagan, plant manager of the Bosch Albion manufacturing site. “Programs like Destination Imagination help school-aged children apply their creativity to different challenges and begin to think outside-the-box for solutions, which will be great skills to have as they embark on their careers. As we seek to hire associates to join Bosch, we look for many of these same attributes that Central Noble Schools is working to develop through programs like Destination Imagination.” Bosch’s grant will go toward the 2014-15 school year, assisting the team with supplies, registration and transportation, as well as other key elements necessary for students to compete. With this grant, Bosch can help foster students’ interest in, and excitement for, experiential learning and STEM education. “The support from Bosch and the Albion facility has been extremely valuable to our student teams and the school as a whole,” said Chris Daughtry, superintendent, Central Noble Community School Corporation. “Knowing that we have companies – like Bosch – who are invested in the programs we participate in and, more importantly, care about the future of our students, means a great deal to our students, our schools and to our community.” Student teams participate in local, state and international competitions with the end goal of teaching creativity and problem solving in every aspect of students’ lives. The challenges fall within the technical, scientific, fine arts, improvisational, structural and community service areas, and student teams can choose the category in which they would like to compete. According to Deb Robertson, who teaches at Albion Elementary School and coaches the Destination Imagination elementary team: “This is the sixteenth year Central Noble will participate in the Destination Imagination program. Throughout the years, we have sent many teams to the state and global finals. During the 2013-14 school year, our teams have been very successful. We had five teams competing with 25 students involved. Four of those teams advanced to the state competition and two advanced to the global competition. The elementary school team placed 15th out of 60 teams in the global competition and the high school team placed in the top half of some 70 teams. “We will be competing with students from 43 states and 13 countries at our upcoming competition. The support from the school, our community and companies like Bosch has been tremendous,” Robertson said. In the past year, Bosch has granted approximately $35,000 to the East and Central Noble School Districts to support STEM education and environmental sustainability in the Albion, Indiana, community. About Destination Imagination: Destination Imagination, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit, volunteer-led, cause-driven organization which constructs fun and engaging challenges that teach the creative process from imagination to innovation using inquiry-guided, team-based learning. More than 200,000 students worldwide participate annually in the 21st century skills program under the guidance of 38,000 passionate volunteers. DI’s annual international competition, Global Finals, is the world’s largest celebration of creativity and draws more than 16,000 students and supporters. To learn more, visit DestionationImagination.org. About the Bosch Community Fund: The Bosch Community Fund, a U.S.-based foundation established in September 2011, awards up to $3 million annually in grants to various 501(c)(3) organizations and educational institutions. The BCF focuses primarily on the enrichment of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education and the advancement of environmental sustainability initiatives. About Bosch: In the U.S., Canada and Mexico, the Bosch Group manufactures and markets automotive original equipment and aftermarket solutions, industrial drives and control technology, power tools, security and communication systems, packaging technology, thermotechnology, household appliances, healthcare telemedicine and software solutions. Having established a regional presence in 1906, Bosch employs 24,600 associates in more than 100 locations, with consolidated sales of $10.4 billion in 2013. For more information, visit www.boschusa.com, www.bosch.com.mx and www.bosch.ca. The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In 2013, its roughly 281,000 associates generated sales of 46.1 billion euros ($61.2 billion). Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Automotive Technology, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its more than 360 subsidiaries and regional companies in some 50 countries. If its sales and service partners are included, then Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. In 2013, Bosch invested some 4.5 billion euros ($6.0 billion) in research and development and applied for some 5,000 patents worldwide. The Bosch Group’s products and services are designed to fascinate, and to improve the quality of life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial. In this way, the company offers technology worldwide that is “Invented for life.” Additional information on the global organization is available online at www.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com, and http://twitter.com/BoschPresse. *Due to a change in accounting policies, 2013 figures can only be compared to a limited extent with 2012 figures. The decision to forego the application of proportionate consolidation affects mainly BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH and ZF Lenksysteme GmbH (2013 consolidated sales volume of some $9.7 billion). Exchange rate: 1 EUR = $1.32812.