Tennessee Valley Authority recently partnered with Bicentennial Volunteers Inc. to award TVA STEM classroom grants to schools in the City of Athens and Limestone County.
Since 2018, TVA/BVI has awarded STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) grants to support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education projects for approximately 600,000 students across the seven-state TVA region. We have provided approximately $5 million in gold.
This year's winners: Athens Renaissance School received a $5,000 grant.
The award will incorporate aviation and drone technology into the classroom. Students are exposed to agriculture, geography, videography, and the environment through project-based learning that incorporates mathematics, science, data interpretation, and programming.
Award description from school: “The purpose of community Dronagogy is to help students see mathematics and science from a different perspective. This project allows students to learn through project-based experiences. Helps students take their PBL projects to the next level. Students collaborate with community leaders to help find solutions to current problems within their communities. Through project-based learning, students Design action plans and experiments that contribute to solutions. Students will explore coding applications using drone technology. Drones offer a variety of benefits, from aerial exploration to the development of artificial intelligence. , students will also have the opportunity to see coding applications through hands-on experience. Students will learn important skills such as teamwork, problem solving, collaboration, and perseverance through Dronagogy in the community. Efforts toward solutions help students become productive global citizens in their communities. Overall, this helps strengthen family, school, and community connections.”
SPARK Academy at Cowart Elementary School received a $3,500 grant.
The school used the grant to purchase a new 3D printer. Students use her CAD and her 3D printing to create projects such as mission patches, constellation discs, name tags, and even snowflake decorations.
Award description by teacher Jennifer Kennedy: “Each grade level completes an age-appropriate project that leads to the creation of a unique piece of work that can be printed on a 3D printer and taken home. Kindergarten students receive a key tag modeled after their own handwriting at the beginning of the school year. Create them: 1st graders design their own constellations and 2nd graders learn about lines of symmetry by printing out disks and holding them in front of flashlights to illuminate the constellations on the wall. Third graders will design a backpack medallion that combines four symbols that are important to them. This project will replace two older printers that were purchased in 2017, one of which is currently not working. All prints and other prints are made only after the utmost care. To keep costs down, old printer parts, such as flexible print beds, can be used in the printers purchased with grant funding. These new printers will help us continue to provide 3D printing opportunities to our students for years to come.”
HEART Academy at Julian Newman Elementary School received a $3,500 grant.
The school used a $3,500 grant to purchase 10 LEGO Education Spike kits to give students exposure to computer science, engineering, programming and debugging.
Award description by teacher Diane Trout: “Each grade level completes an age-appropriate project that leads to the creation of a unique piece of work that can be printed on a 3D printer and taken home. Kindergarten students receive a key tag modeled after their own handwriting at the beginning of the school year. Create them: 1st graders design their own constellations and 2nd graders learn about lines of symmetry by printing out disks and placing them in front of flashlights to illuminate the constellations on the wall. As they learn, third graders design backpack medallions that combine symbols of four things that are important to them. This project replaces two older printers that were purchased in 2017. One printer is working. Not at all, other prints are printed only after great care. To keep costs down, parts from old printers, such as flexible print beds, are used in printers purchased with grant money. These new printers will help us continue to provide 3D printing opportunities to students for years to come.”
The Athens Intermediate School Gifted Program received a $5,000 grant.
The program purchased a LulzBot Mini 3D printer and spool of filament with a $5,000 grant. Students use critical thinking and creativity to solve real-world problems and realize solutions through 3D printing.
Award description by teacher Erin Mitchell: “Our talented students do a lot of brainstorming and planning on how to solve common problems in their communities. They often cannot see what the results will be, so they want to buy three 3D printers and let their students see their plans come to life. It could be a prototype for a new invention you came up with, a working hose fitting for an irrigation system, or a model for a school safety device that might be useful in an emergency. I'm always amazed at the ideas students come up with to solve common problems they don't understand. This gives them control over their own learning and the issues that affect their lives and communities. The door will open.”
Ardmore High School received a $5,000 grant.
Award description by teacher Tamara Hillard: “This generation is constantly exposed to highly politicized opinions about energy use and alternative energies. They will soon be tasked with making decisions about energy and the environment, so they are exposed to a variety of energy alternatives. To best weigh the pros and cons, we need real information. To sift through misinformation and draw informed conclusions, we need to understand the underlying mechanics of energy conversion. To help students gain a strong background in energy conversion science, they will purchase materials that will help them evaluate (and in some cases build) energy usage models such as wind, hydro, biofuels, and solar. By creating their own small-scale models and making concrete observations, students will use the evidence from their research to gain the foundational knowledge they need to become future decision makers. Create presentations and exhibits: These students complete hands-on projects and presentations that are shared with the student body so that the entire community can learn more about how different alternative energies work in practice. And we will be able to get more information about their impact on the environment.”
Blue Springs Elementary School received a $5,000 grant.
Award description by teacher Pam Fowler: “Blue Bots of Happiness uses the Ozobot Evo set to promote hands-on learning about robotics, math, and programming in a fun way that keeps students engaged. , students in other general education classes will also be exposed to the world of technology and robotics. We are an agricultural community, so introducing hydroponics using robots is a perfect fit. , a pipeline to future career studies.”
West Limestone High School received a $5,000 grant.
Nicci Clingan's award description: “I would like to create a simulated workplace for high school students in family and consumer sciences. They will learn about budgeting, recipe building, marketing design skills, applying measurement principles, portion control, conversion, and analyzing and managing food costs. From pricing to menu planning, students will have the opportunity to create a bakery/coffee shop storefront, logo, menu, and more while learning all the necessary skills. Develop and plan interior layouts, specialty items for your bakery. Create a 3D layout for your bakery in a shoe box. Research and complete your business license application. Develop recipes and prices for specialty bakery items. They create salt dough models. They explore and try different recipes, do calculations to determine profit margins, create menu prices based on cost, engineer by creating 3D visuals for the store, and customer needs. We plan to incorporate STEM into this mission through the creation of a business based on their community. Technology will be used throughout the project, right down to the necessary espresso/coffee machine and various cooking utensils.”
Creekside Elementary School received a $2,500 award.
Award description by teacher Allie Lish: “Each year, our students learn the science behind sound production in our music classrooms. This funding will provide students with hands-on manipulation that will give them a deeper, more visual understanding of how sound is made. During the course of this project, students are used to learning about sound, but less familiar with how that science can be applied to various careers that utilize their understanding of sound. All students will participate in experiments and projects that further their exploration of the science of sound. The expected outcome of this project is for students to identify careers in both musical and non-musical environments that utilize sound. It's about explaining how sound is produced and transmitted and recognizing how music and sound are integrated with STEM.
