Best Place to Work
Firstmark has been named a Best Place to Work for five years in a row!
STEM has skyrocketed in popularity across our school districts! Bridging base curriculum courses together, STEM opens the door for students to explore another dimension of forward-thinking studies. With sectors such as coding, robotics, and virtual reality, this evolutionary class is bringing students to the forefront of our ever-changing society.
Dr. James Hernandez, educator at Terrell Wells Middle School, sought to provide his students the chance to dive further into the nooks and crannies of virtual reality (VR), and wanted them to have the opportunity to learn fundamental coding skills and creativity through game design. Thanks to Power of the Dollar® members, he was awarded a $1,000 grant in December 2025 for his “VR Game Makers: Code, Create, and Explore!” project idea, which he then used the grant funds to purchase VR modeling software, immersive design tools, and even VR headsets!
“I like doing things that haven’t been done before,” said Dr. Hernandez. “My research experience is looking at gaming as a way to bring people together. There was an opportunity to do something that hasn’t been done before at a middle school-level, and also something that’s cutting edge that we’re going to have to figure it out together. I teach my students that we don’t always have to know exactly how it’s going to end, but if we collaborate and work together, we’re going to find success and learn from our mistakes.”
Dr. Hernandez wasn’t kidding: these kids were collaborating times-two! Working through the different nuances of game development, and bouncing ideas off one another, the students were engaged and heavily invested into creating the most innovative platform they could—it was a sight to see! Not only could you feel the sense of belonging and urge to brainstorm from scratch alongside one another, the kids were having fun; when you witness a classroom full of students wanting to be a part of a project and a bit bummed when the bell rings (cueing a stop for the day), you really got something good going.
“The inspiration has always been the kids,” said Nehemias Moreno, who worked alongside Dr. Hernandez on the project. “This opportunity has livened them up and giving them the chance to do things they don’t normally do. When we told them about the project, they wanted to be involved. They’re working harder and growing—it’s a beautiful thing to see.”
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Firstmark has been named a Best Place to Work for five years in a row!
Firstmark has been named a Best Place to Work for five years in a row!