School districts get grants for special projects
Twenty-five school districts in Western Pennsylvania counties have been awarded $20,000 grants to create spaces to engage students in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics projects.
The grants were administered by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit’s Center for Creativity with money provided by the Claude Worthington Benedum and the Grable foundations.
Among the proposed projects is an outdoor classroom in a courtyard near the Rachel Carson Homestead at Allegheny Valley Junior Senior High School and a digital playground where students will learn computer programming and gaming at Keystone Oaks Middle and High School.
In addition, a new studio that includes an art and music “creation station”, green screen, editing and robotics area will be created at South Park Elementary School and students at Big Beaver Falls High School will design and test solar modules to be placed in the high school roof.
More than 80 grant applications were submitted from schools in a nine-county region.
The schools to get grants were:
• Springdale Junior Senior High School
• Big Beaver Falls High School
• Blackhawk High School
• Burgettstown middle and high schools
• Butler Area High School
• Chartiers Valley Intermediate School
• Cornell Elementary School
• East Allegheny Primary School
• Elizabeth Forward Middle School
• Fort Cherry Junior Senior High School
• Fox Chapel Kerr Elementary
• Keystone Oaks middle and high schools
• Ligonier Valley Laurel Valley and Mellon elementary schools
• McKeesport Twin Rivers Elementary School
• Montour Burkett Elementary School
• North Hills junior and senior high schools
• Plum Regency Park Elementary School
• Ringgold Middle School
• Shaler Area Elementary School
• South Park Elementary Center
• Sto-Rox High School
• Union Area High School
• Upper Saint Clair High School
• West Allegheny Middle School
• West Jefferson Hills Middle School