In November 2024, NexTier Bank donated $40,000 to the Mars Planet Foundation. A portion went to the school’s STEAM — Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics — program through the Teaching Enrichment Grant program.

Representatives of NexTier Bank and Mars Planet Foundation recently visited Mars Area Centennial School to see the benefits of several past donations to STEAM and other district programs, said a news release from Mars Area School District.

The money helped purchase drones, which have been incorporated this year into a culminating activity as part of the student’s Coding & Programming Unit.

“Coding, programming and robotics have been one of the essential learning activities for our STEAM program,” said Chris Churilla, a STEAM teacher at Mars. “Students are learning the science and technology behind how these drone shows are created and may get inspiration to take their knowledge into a future career.”

In November 2025, Nextier made another $40,000 donation. It will be used to fund future school programs and activities through Mars Planet Foundation.