May 26, 2026 By Conner Goetz 2 min read

Science teacher Eric Selva is hopeful that the $5,000 Environmental Education grant he received from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in late April will help catalyze a transformation of the outdoor learning area at Charleroi Area High School, giving his students new ways to learn about agriculture.

The grant awarded to Charleroi Area is among the $1,019,523 in funding disbursed to 46 environmental education-focused projects across the commonwealth in the latest round of DEP grant funding.

“Environmental education is lifelong learning, and whether you are a kid or a kid at heart, these projects will help connect you to the ways we can protect the air we breathe and the water we drink,” DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley said in a release. “Nearly every grant we are awarding will support people in environmental justice communities to improve educational opportunities and people’s connections to their environment.”

Selva has applied to several state grant programs in recent years with varying success, with the Environmental Education application a definite “long shot.”

“It’s really cool to get this award,” he said, noting that DEP grants typically have a higher bar to clear for applicants.

Selva credited local grant-writing consultant Terry Planton, who is a Charleroi Area High School alumnus, for the successful grant application.

Currently, Selva’s students have access to a single greenhouse that is about 12-by-16 feet located on the grounds of the high school, where he uses the space as a practical demonstration lab for specific units in biology and botany courses.

The funding will pay for new hydroponic irrigation to enhance the growing capacity of the greenhouse, along with other renovations to the structure and surrounding area, Selva said.

According to Selva, his goal is to use the momentum from the initial $5,000 “seed grant” to apply for a $35,000 “growth grant” from DEP next year that would constitute a total transformation of the outdoor learning area.

Selva said he hopes to use both grant programs to build a “micro-farm” space centered on the greenhouse that will be the centerpiece of in-class agriculture and botany curriculum as well as summer camp programing for local youth.

“This is part of a larger plan,” Selva said. “It would be a renovation in hands-on learning.”