Anthony Wayne Local Schools (AWLS) will receive grants totaling $466,485 to fund programs and classroom lessons to support students’ academic and personal growth. The awards are as follows:
OHIO SCHOOL SAFETY GRANTS
Anthony Wayne Local Schools will receive $450,000 from the state of Ohio to support the installation of security upgrades across each of its buildings as part of Governor Mike DeWine’s K-12 School Safety Grant Program. Anthony Wayne High School, Anthony Wayne Junior High and Fallen Timbers will each receive $50,000 and each of the district’s three primary schools will receive $100,000. The funds will be used to improve emergency communications, expand surveillance systems and enhance other physical security systems across the district.
OHIO STEM LEARNING NETWORK (OSLN) CLASSROOM GRANTS
Fallen Timbers Middle School
Lisa Yoder, STEM teacher at Fallen Timbers Middle School will receive a $5,000 grant to fund her project entitled, Out of This World with Spheros. The grant supports the purchase of Sphero Bolts (mini robots) and space mats for them. Students will code the robots to move in the orbital patterns of the planets, the tilt of the Earth causing the seasons, and to demonstrate Earth’s rotation being the cause of day and night. The lesson supports 5th grade science standards about predictable patterns in space.
Waterville Primary School
Waterville Primary’s STEM project, Our Students are STEAMing Toward Their Futures was funded by a $5,000 OSLN grant. The school will use the award to implement Engineering Design Process challenges for all classrooms, increase opportunities for students to learn coding, robotics, manufacturing and fabrication, and develop and implement interdisciplinary Project Based Learning with fine arts and STEAM community partnerships.
Whitehouse Primary School
Whitehouse Primary will also receive $5,000 to fund a project entitled, Supercharged STEM. This will support the school’s STEM Club by providing robotics and engineering based construction materials, with the intent to help students develop perseverance, creativity and communication skills while engaging in hands-on learning activities that encourage critical thinking and problem-solving.
START WITH HELLO AWARD
Waterville Primary student council representatives won second place and $750 in the Sandy Hook Promise Start with Hello Awards recognition program. The students planned events and activities designed to promote a positive school climate and help students learn empathy and collaboration. The funds will be used for future Start With Hello activities.
DIRECTIONS CARES FOR CLASSROOMS GRANTS
Waterville Primary School counselor, Jillian Cowell is the recipient of a $500 grant from Directions Credit Union to fund a project designed to acknowledge students as they demonstrate personal growth. Each student will have the opportunity to earn a “Teila Keychain” as they develop and exhibit positive behaviors, character traits and leadership. The keychain, in the shape of a labrador retriever, is representative of the unifying presence of the Teila, the building’s school facility dog. The project aims to promote a positive school culture.
Rachel Birt, intervention coach at Monclova Primary was also awarded $235 to help students gain reading skills by using board games. By modifying the way the games are played, students can use tactile and kinesthetic movement and phonetic principles to improve literacy. These engaging lessons have shown to improve students' attitudes toward learning decoding and comprehension skills.
Anthony Wayne Local Schools is grateful to be chosen to be a recipient of these grant awards. The funds will support projects that will empower students to be future ready by providing opportunities to experience rigorous academics, outstanding activities and programs, and a supportive, positive learning environment.