This fall, the Prairie State Generating Company (PSGC) hosted its second annual Classroom Impact Grant Program to support STEM-related projects in local classrooms. Five grants of $1,000 were awarded. The recipient schools of these grants are listed here, along with the more information about the project being supported:
Coulterville Unit School District 1. Project: Launching Learning: Expanding STEM Exploration Through Student Rocketry
This project seeks to elevate the student experience in the CUSD #1 STEM Club through the integration of rocketry kits and flight technology. Through this grant, students will be enabled to participate in a multi-phase program that begins with the study of flight foundations and aerodynamic principles, followed by rocket construction, launch and data collection, and reflection and analysis. This project will impact over one hundred K-12 students.
Pictured: Alyssa Kreger (PSGC) and Tammy Zimmerman (Math Teacher, Coulterville Unit School District).
Freeburg Community High School. Project: Enhancing Advanced Manufacturing Education Through 3D Printing Technology
This project enhances the FCHS vocational classes by upgrading their 3D printing laboratory. The expanded 3D printing capacity provided by this grant allows students hands-on opportunities to design and fabricate prototype machine components and more, thus bridging the gap between classroom instruction and workforce skills. This project will directly benefit 120 students enrolled in the Welding, CAD, Manufacturing, and Mechanical Drafting classes, though students across the school will also benefit from using the 3D printing lab for interdisciplinary STEM projects.
Pictured: Alyssa Kreger (PSGC) and Anthony Thoel (Teacher, Freeburg Community High School).
Nashville Grade School. Project: Snap Circuits: Code Journey Robots & Motion Electronic Discovery Kits
This project elevates the STEAM Learning Lab at NGS through the purchase of Snap Circuits Kits, which focus on coding, motion, and physics. The kits will be integrated into the technology curriculum, along with being used in a weekly after-school Learning Lab, where students will learn how to build robots and use coding to bring them to life. This project benefits 548 students from kindergarten through 8th grade.
Pictured: Linda Klingenberg (Technology Integration Specialist, Nashville Grade School) and Alyssa Kreger (PSGC).
Sesser-Valier Elementary School. Project: Electricity, Magnet, and Energy STEM Lab
This project enables the 4th grade teachers at Sesser-Valier Elementary to create a student-led laboratory experience where they will learn about energy, electricity, and magnetism. Memorable learning takes place beyond a textbook, and this grant will allow for hands-on experiences that will engage students in activities related to circuits, electricity, and more. Around 45 students will benefit from this lab each year.
Pictured: Gavin Hernandez and Danielle Crocker (4th Grade Teachers, Sesser-Valier Elementary School) and Alyssa Kreger (PSGC).
Waltonville Grade School. Project: DigiSpartans Robotics Club: FIRST LEGO League
This project will allow the DigiSpartans Robotics Club to practice for and compete in the FIRST LEGO League, an event which combines STEM learning with a hands-on robotics competition. Students on the team will design, build, and program a robot made entirely of LEGOs, in addition to competing with that robot in a series of missions on a themed playing field. Along with this, there is a problem provided that requires the students to perform research, develop a solution, and present their findings to judges. There are currently around twenty 4th-8th grade students signed up for this robotics club, with the impact of this project to continue in future years.
Pictured: Alyssa Kreger (PSGC), Nichole Wynn & Liz Bunton (Robotics Club Coaches, Waltonville Grade School) and Bethany Anderson (Principal, Waltonville Grade School).
Runner-Up Grant
The judging panel also selected one additional project to receive a runner-up grant of $500. This was awarded to St. Joseph Catholic School in Freeburg for their project STEM Roots: Hydroponics for Healthy Communities. This project seeks to teach students about biology and environmental science through a hands-on hydroponic growing system; the food produced through this system will be donated to the local food pantry to feed families in need, connecting academic learning to real-world impact.
Supporting Local Educational Initiatives
Randy Short, President and CEO of PSGC, highlighted the importance of STEM education. “At Prairie State, we employ a wide range of professionals. Many of them come from educational backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and math. It is vital that we support STEM education, to provide students an opportunity to see how fulfilling a STEM career may be.”
PSGC is proud to support local classrooms through initiatives such as these, and we look forward to continuing this grant program in the future.