Southwest Elementary Receives $5000 Grant from TVA
Southwest Elementary Receives $5000 Grant from TVA
North Calloway Elementary, Southwest Calloway Elementary, and Murray-Calloway County Area Technology Center all received $5,000 STEM Classroom Grants from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The program, sponsored by the TVA in partnership with Bicentennial Volunteers Incorporated (BVI, a TVA retiree organization), is designed to fund science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning projects in classrooms and schools in the TVA service area. 238 schools were chosen for grants out of approximately 500 applications.
“The Tennessee Valley Authority understands that excellence in education is the key to our future,” said TVA STEM Education Manager Rachel Crickmar. “We want to work directly with teachers to support initiatives that advance STEM activities in the classroom to develop a talent pipeline for TVA and its customers."
The schools plan to use the grant money in various ways, all to improve STEM education for their students. North Calloway plans to enhance their STEM materials in their media center. Southwest Calloway plans to construct a butterfly garden with various plants. Murray-Calloway ATC will purchase advanced technology for their machine tool program.
Representatives from TVA and the West Kentucky Rural Electrical Cooperative visited the schools on April 12 to tour the schools, discuss the grant programs, and visit with teachers and students.
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power companies serving nearly 10 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.
Pictured (L to R back row) are Scotty Sholar (TVA), Mark Mallory (Southwest), Jodie Hansen (WKRECC), Brent Powell (TVA), Wade White (TVA). Pictured in the front row are the Southwest Elementary Student Council.