For the love of learning

A few days before winter break, schools throughout Shelby County got a surprise gift.

On Dec. 14, Shelby County Education Foundation Director Kendall Williams stopped by Chelsea Middle School, Mt Laurel Elementary, Oak Mountain Intermediate, the Career Technical Education Center and the Shelby County Schools Technology Department to deliver the gift — a grant from the foundation. 

Teachers and students throughout the county applied for grants from the foundation, explaining projects they hoped to implement at their schools or within the school system. Applications were scored based on the project directly supporting student learning, the application describing specific student outcomes and a complete budget.  

IMPACT the Journey grants support projects that aim to empower, energize and enrich the school, according to the foundation’s website.

Oak Mountain Intermediate– Traveling Media Center

In her first year as the library and media specialist at Oak Mountain Intermediate, Sarah Dozier decided to apply for a grant to help fund traveling media centers. This project aims to increase student collaboration, motivation and ownership of learning, according to the grant application, and each unit will include a Google Chromecast, a Chromebook and a mobile television display cart.

A former fifth-grade teacher at OMIS, Dozier said she applied for the grant to help students become 21st century learners and to be able to better present their ideas and show their learning. 

“By providing opportunities for students to use a variety of innovative technologies in the collection and sharing their learning, the media centers help students become motivated, active participants and take ownership of their learning,” according to the application.

Dr. Pat LeQuier, principal at OMIS, said they are fortunate to have Dozier as their media specialist, as her experience as a classroom teacher helps her have an eye for which resources are most helpful to teachers and to students.

“It will be put to multiple purposes, outstanding use,” LeQuier said, regarding the traveling media centers. 

Dozier said she was surprised and thankful to receive the grant, as she knew there were several other teachers with great ideas throughout the county.

“I am blown away by their generosity and that they see this as important as I do,” Dozier said.

While Dozier applied for a $2,436.64 grant to purchase the supplied for two traveling media centers, the Foundation awarded $3,654.96 — enough to fund three. 

Williams said they were impressed with the application and believed three could help better benefit the school.

Mt Laurel Elementary – Building Bricks of Learning

As a way to help students learn to collaborate, problem solve and “think divergently in the areas of S.T.r.E.A.M.” (science, technology, writing, engineering, art and math), Mt Laurel Elementary School applied for a grant to fund Building Bricks of Learning for all grades. 

This would be an addition to the school’s Innovation Lab, bringing in a hands-on learning environment that crosses multiple subjects, according to the school’s grant application. Building Bricks of Learning is aligned with national standards and can help students learn about working in small groups, communicating and becoming 21st century learners.

“Building Bricks of Learning allows students the opportunity to truly become leaders of their own learning,” according to the grant application. “Students will be active participants in their learning process.”

The whole school will benefit from the addition, Vice Principal Tina Neighbors said.

“MLES plans to create an innovation lab called Bricks for Learning, which will provide hands-on STrEAM activities for all students kindergarten through fifth grade,” Neighbors said. “Teachers are excited to utilize this space to allow students to explore and deepen their knowledge in a creative manner.”

The Education Foundation funded the requested amount of the grant, which was $4,841.77 for BrickLab curriculum sets, a Gears! Gears! Gears! Building set, an iPad Mini, animation kits, the Stop, Motion Pro app and a Kids Fort Building Kit. 

“We are very blessed to have the Shelby County Education Foundation,” Neighbors said. “The members work diligently to acquire funds for the school grants. These grants provide students with engaging experiences, utilizing soft skills, which will prepare them for the journey after high school graduation.”

Chelsea Middle School – Lounge Learning Seating

Chelsea Middle School student Sydney Bridgeman took the initiative to apply for an Imagine the Journey Student Grant. With the $1,000 from funding, Bridgeman said she hoped to purchase items for a project titled “Lounge Learning Seating.” The area would affect between 75 and 100 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade student each day, according to her application.

“Our project is more comfortable seating for the library,” Bridgeman wrote. “With a grant of $1,000 we will be able to purchase pillows and cushioned chairs to ensure students in [the] study hall area [are] able to work and study together comfortably.”

The seating would allow for more productive results when working in the library, the application said, as more comfortable seating will help motivate them. Success for the project, she said, would be seen through an increased number of students utilizing the study area. 

Shelby County Schools– Full Steam Ahead!

Throughout the county, Shelby County Schools students will receive new resources through the Full STEAM Ahead! project. Applied for by the school system’s technology department, this project would provide checkout technology kits to elementary schools throughout the school system. These kits would include programmable devices that teach concepts of coding and problem-solving skills. 

“One of our goals is to empower teachers to bring STEAM activities into their elementary classrooms,” the grant application said. “This will prepare our teachers and students for the new Alabama Digital Literacy and Computer Science Course of Study to be implemented next year. Through the ‘Elementary STEAM kit,’ our students will learn to think logically, problem solve, persevere in difficult situations, collaborate with others and communicate effectively, all while having fun.”

While supplies for the project would total to $8,570, the technology department applied for $5,000 and received that full amount.