Local Teachers Receive Thousands in Grants for STEM Education

Emma Delk

Drone battles, robot prosthetics, cooking lessons and more will be brought to students in Brooke, Marshall and Ohio counties through $9,148 in STEM grants awarded to local educators.

The grants were born from a collaboration of the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley and Southwestern Energy, who created the funding to encourage unique, hands-on science, technology, engineering and math experiences in kindergarten through 12th grade public schools.

The 19 projects that received funding cover an array of STEM subjects, from robotics to environmental science. At the grant reception Tuesday, 10 teachers shared the details of their projects and how they will foster a love for learning in the STEM fields within their students.

John Marshall High School English and STEM teacher T.J. Romick detailed his project to add noise dampening panels to the school's fabrication lab, an idea that his students came up with. He also had his students write the grant application, with Romick adding that all he had to do was "a little bit of proofreading."

"I believe when we take care of our environment, we tend to respect it a bit more, so maybe these noise panels will last a while longer with the students' involvement," Romick said.

Bethani Tweedlie of Hilltop Elementary School is founding the "Finer Things Club" with the funding she received. The group will meet after school and focus on introducing students to areas of the fine arts, including painting, sculpture, culinary arts, poetry and photography. The grant funding will go specifically toward purchasing "kid-friendly kitchen tools," according to Tweedlie.

"The cooking lessons will teach math standards like fractions, measurement units and measurement conversions, which was one of our standards on state testing that was really lacking," Tweedlie said.

Another project that drew attention was Sherrard Middle School teacher Greg Oliver's drone competitions. With the funding received from his grant, Oliver will expand his "drone fleet," allowing more students to compete at local and national events.

Romick added that the grants help fund projects that "reach out to students" by allowing the teachers to create engaging, hands-on STEM activities.

"These projects take what can be abstract concepts, such as some algebraic formulas, and put them into real-world scenarios," Romick said. "They are also relevant to the here and now for students."

Oliver added that the most important part of adding STEM activities to the classroom is "to make it fun" for the students, which was easier for teachers to achieve through the funding.

Giving teachers "something a little extra" was the goal of the grant, said Southwestern Community Relations Manager Stephanie Paluda.

She added that one of the best areas in which to bring additional resources into the classroom is the STEM fields.

"We know in the public school system the teachers work so hard," Paluda said. "For us, it's really about helping these teachers get students excited about STEM in any way."

CFOV Program Officer Debbie Stanton added that "teachers know how to make a lot with a little," with the CFOV wanting to provide teachers with the "extra help to enhance their classroom."

"Helping SWN launch this grant program is the exact type of work the CFOV wants to do," Stanton said. "The SWN provides the funding that we can then distribute to teachers in this great partnership that ends up working really well for everybody."