Three Washington County districts receive $20,000 grants
Three Washington County school districts among 25 in the area were awarded $20,000 grants to create spaces to engage students in science technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
Burgettstown middle and high schools, Fort Cherry Junior Senior High School and Ringgold Middle School were among the schools awarded the prizes, which were administered by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit’s Center for Creativity with money provided by the Claude Worthington Benedum and Grable foundations.
Karen Polkabla, superintendent for Ringgold School District, said teachers would use the award to create digital learning opportunities for their students.
“As a part of the grant, students will use SIM City software to design and create model green cities,” Polkabla wrote in an email.
Polkabla said students and teachers would be working with representatives from the Washington County Planning Commission to create real-world scenarios revolving around alternative energy resources.
“They will facilitate opportunities for students to interact with architects, engineers and other professionals involved in the building process,” Polkabla said.
Burgettstown superintendent Debbie Jackson said the funds would be used to convert a conventional classroom in the high school into a television production studio.
“This grant will help us give our students a competitive advantage through a revamp of their learning environment,” said Fort Cherry superintendent Robert Dinnen.
Dinnen said the district would use the money to upgrade a traditional computer lab into “a modern space with ergonomic seating and designs.”
Other proposed projects include 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 on the high school roof.
More than 80 grant applications were submitted from schools in a nine-county region.