Earlier this week, representatives from Amazon Murfreesboro helped kids at Hobgood Elementary school kick off the year with a special surprise – $15,000 to expand STEM programs for the school's more than 700 students.

General Manager Justin Larson and local fulfillment center associates spoke about the importance of STEM learning before presenting the donation to Hobgood Elementary School Principal Quinena Bell and Murfreesboro City Schools School Director Dr. Linda Gilbert.

After the assembly, Amazon associates participated in classroom STEM activities with students.

"Giving kids the chance to learn next-gen STEM skills is important to us," said Larson. "We're proud to support schools like Hobgood Elementary in our community and help keep kids excited and engaged about learning."

Hobgood Elementary School Principal Quinena Bell says that the donation will go towards purchasing cutting-edge equipment like a 3-D printer, Sphero education packs and Ozobot coding kits to expand STEM programs.

"The support of our community partners is vital to the success of our school," said Principal Bell. "We are honored that Amazon selected Hobgood for this large donation to enhance our STEM program. This was an exciting announcement for our students and staff."