Poplar Grove Middle and Johnson Elementary awarded TVA STEM grants to help fund projects
The Tennessee Valley Authority recently awarded grants to two Franklin Special District schools for new STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) resources.
Johnson Elementary School and Poplar Grove Middle School each received $3,500 to assist with education projects. Both schools used the funds to launch new programs for students this year, officials said.
'We know STEM teachers across the region are inspiring students to become the workforce of the future and that's why it's so important for TVA to continue to support this grant program,' TVA President and CEO Jeff Lyash said in a release announcing the grants. 'Providing additional resources to schools helps provide essential hands-on learning programs that equip students with skills that will help them be successful in whatever they choose to do in life.'
The agency's competitive STEM classroom grant program is operated in partnership with the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network, managed by the Battelle organization.
The program received 647 grant applications this year, and 342 were selected for funding, officials noted.
At Johnson Elementary, grant funds were used to purchase composting materials for a new gardening program under the direction of library media specialist Dea Peach.
Using hands-on activities, students will learn how organic waste can be transformed into nutrient-rich soil, reinforcing science concepts in an engaging way, Peach said of the program.
'We are excited to teach our students the importance of sustainability and environmental responsibility,' she said. 'This contribution from TVA will go a long way in helping us teach our students that these lifelong habits can contribute to a more sustainable future.'
At Poplar Grove Middle, the grant funds were used to purchase educational materials to help guide students as they create and launch their own businesses, officials said.
'Students are learning core business principles and entrepreneurial skills that will help them work as their own boss,' said STEM teacher Deb Shuler. 'Using this grant-funded curriculum, students learn the difference between services and products and the difference between digital and physical goods and services.'
Through the program, students in grades 5-8 were given a goal of presenting a product at the Franklin Special District's Performing Arts Center fundraiser. Teams then went on to compete against other schools and student-led business concepts in a statewide competition earlier this spring.
One of the teams, from sixth grade, not only placed but won in the manufacturing category at the Tennessee Invention Convention, held on March 26 at Middle Tennessee State University. The team has been invited to participate in the national competition this summer, officials said.
TVA's school grants were awarded through a competitive process, and preference was given to grant applications that explored TVA's primary areas of focus: environment, energy, economic development, and community problem-solving.
Any school that receives power from a local power company served by TVA is eligible to apply for the annual program.
TVA has provided nearly $8 million in STEM grants supporting over 730,000 students since 2018, the agency said.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TVA awards two Middle Tennessee schools $3,500 STEM grants
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