Calvert City, KY – February 28, 2019 – The Calvert City Community Advisory Team (CCCAT) awarded $5,780.00 for six spring mini-grants and $5,371.00 for two spring major-grants to support science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to four elementary schools located in Marshall and Livingston Counties.
MINI-GRANTS
The spring 2020 mini-grants were awarded to teachers at Calvert City Elementary, Jonathan Elementary, North Livingston Elementary, and Sharpe Elementary Schools. The six STEM projects approved by the CCCAT members included:
Calvert City Elementary School:
Denae Shelton – Kindergarten to 2nd grade – 150 students – Learn to Code game, two STEM kits: STEM projects require problem identification, plan development, sketch the solution, then build and test their solution ($987.00)
Jonathan Elementary School:
Brandon Newton – 4th & 5th grades – 40-80 students – three LEGO Education SPIKE Prime Sets: Students learn about body motion for various tasks and then will be asked to design prosthetic limbs for those tasks ($1,000.00)
North Livingston Elementary School:
Sylvia Doyle – 4th grade – 30 students – Various sets of rock and soil specimens and containers/apparatus: Students identify rocks and learn about geology, soil layers and report observations ($997.00)
Pam Hardin – 4th & 5th grades – 60 students – Various body organ and body part models/cross sections: Students can see/feel various body parts and how they give sensory input to the body ($840.00)
Roberta Vaughan – 4th & 5th grades – 60 students – Small greenhouse and various grow light fixtures and apparatus: Use of scientific method to gather data on how soil/water and light affect plant growth ($967.00)
Sharpe Elementary School:
Shannon Hamlet – K-5th grades – 280 students (entire school) – Tower growing system for their classroom used by all students: Aeroponic grown plants will support 30 science lesson plans ranging from K through 5th grade ($989.00)
Janna Archer, a math interventionist, along with Melissa Trabucco and Tiffany Thompson, first grade teachers from South Marshall Elementary School, purchased “bead racks” from a mini-grant award they received from the CCCAT in the fall of 2019. The teachers brought five first grade students to the February 25 CCCAT meeting to demonstrate to the committee members and guests how they use bead racks.
Ms. Archer explained that the project was entitled “Cracking the Code with a Bead Rack.” She said this project with the use of the 100 bead racks allowed the teachers to introduce students to coding and mathematical fluency simultaneously.
“This project combined critical thinking strategies while also teaching students that there are multiple ways to solve problems,” she said.
MAJOR-GRANTS
The CCCAT awarded $5,371.00 for two spring major-grants to pre-kindergarten teachers Amie Eplee at Calvert City Elementary School and Renae Locker at South Marshall Elementary School. Five grant applications were received.
Ms. Eplee will use $3,847 in grant money to purchase a “Snug Play Primary Kit” that allows students to plan, create, and test structures they build. According to Ms. Eplee, her kit materials can be shared with other local schools.
Ms. Locker will use $1,524 in grant money to purchase a Symmetry, Shapes and Subtraction Fun. “This kit supports development of size and shape concepts for Pre-K by building objects using tiles, wood components, and ball maze components,” Ms. Locker explained in her grant application.
CCCAT
The CCCAT members approve up to $6,000.00 in mini-grants twice a year that are funded by the 11 Calvert City plant members. Major-grants up to $5,000 are awarded each spring. The next round of mini-grant applications will be emailed to schools in Marshall and Livingston Counties in the fall of 2020. The next round of major-grant applications will be emailed to those schools in spring 2021.
“The CCCAT is honored to be able to support our local schools in their pursuit of teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The tools provided through these grants assist these hard-working educators in inspiring the next generation of engineers, scientists, and operators to ensure the continued success of the Calvert City Industrial Complex,” said Environmental Manager Chris Farley, the Evonik Corporation’s committee representative.
Formed in 1992, the Calvert City Community Advisory Team membership includes area residents and representatives from 11 Calvert City chemical and industrial plants. The team meets eight times a year to discuss issues and share information of interest to both residents and the plants. The group provides a forum for the plants to interact directly with the community.
The 11 Calvert City companies that participate in the advisory team are Arkema, Inc.; Ashland; Clean Earth, Inc. (now Harsco Corporation); Carbide Industries LLC; Cymetech Corporation; Estron Chemical, Inc.; Evonik Corporation; Lubrizol Advanced Materials; Sekisui SC; Wacker Chemical Corporation; and Westlake Vinyls, Inc.
