Southwestern Energy (SWN) and the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO) have developed a fund to support STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) educational activities in K-12 classrooms and schools throughout Guernsey and Monroe counties. Public school districts and educators working in those counties are able to apply for funding to implement enhanced STEM-based learning materials, opportunities and experiences during the school year.

Together, SWN and FAO will address pressing educational needs by supporting and providing mini-grants toward STEM-based learning materials, opportunities and experiences. These grants will work to improve education and generate transformative change within Appalachian Ohio.

Previous grant recipients

    • Cambridge City Schools to support middle school students’ participation in the REC Foundation Aerial Drone Competition, engaging students in a combination of teamwork and problem-solving.

    • Cambridge City Schools to fund materials for the Cambridge Intermediate School’s laser engraver, allowing students to bring their ideas to life while exploring the fields of arts, design, engineering and entrepreneurship.

    • Cambridge City Schools to fund hands-on learning materials for fifth-grade math instruction, deepening students’ understanding of the curriculum and increasing student math achievement.

    • Cambridge City Schools (two grants) to fund a middle school student-designed and student-made terrarium that will be able to support a living animal.

    • East Guernsey Local Schools to purchase motion and acceleration cars and other materials for Buckeye Trail High School’s physics class, allowing students to perform various motion-related labs.

    • East Guernsey Local Schools to support the Warrior Prairie project, a collaboration between Buckeye Trail High School students and the community to build, plant and maintain a native tallgrass prairie that will include signage.

    • Switzerland of Ohio Local School District to purchase STEM kits that will help Woodsfield Elementary School students better understand energy by allowing them to create and experiment with electrical transformations.

    • Switzerland of Ohio Local School District to support an artist-in-residence program that will expose River High School students to Raku pottery, a traditional form of Japanese Raku firing that uses the earth’s natural elements, and allow them to create, glaze and fire a Raku clay vessel.

    • Caldwell Exempt Village School District (EVSD) received a grant to support the STEM Based Learning and Career Technical Education in Caldwell Elementary project. This project will equip Caldwell Elementary students with tools and supplies to engage in meaningful student-centered learning activities. Materials, including microscopes, slides, and a document camera, will enhance Agriscience and STEM education, as well as career technical classes.

    • Cambridge City Schools received a grant to support the Challenging Minds with Vex IQ project. This project will help students foster and develop teamwork, critical thinking, project management and communication skills. The grant will be used to purchase a VEX IQ Challenge Field for students to build and test robotics.

    • Cambridge City Schools received a grant to support the Hands On Coding project. This activity will teach students about writing and debugging code through the Engineering Design Process as they learn the value of rethinking and multiple solutions.

    • Cambridge City Schools received a grant to support the STEAM for Kindergarten project. This project will use STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) education to build strong work ethics and problem-solving skills for kindergarteners. The grant will be used for additional STEAM-related activities during open-ended play time each day.

    • East Guernsey Schools received a grant to support the Tool Usage and Identification project. This project will supply tools to third-grade students who are interested in investigating vehicle parts, including the engine, transmission, and rear of a Ford Expedition.

    • East Guernsey Local Schools received a grant to support the Tumbling Towards Tomorrow’s Technology project. This project will teach a small group of current and potentially gifted students the principles of coding in a hands-on, screen-free way with six Turing Tumble “marble-powered computers.” Turing Tumble enables groups of students to work together building mechanical computers to solve logic puzzles with gears, bits, ramps, crossovers, interceptors, pressers, and boards.

    • Noble Local School District received a grant to support the Ensuring Water Quality project. This project will allow students to monitor water quality and the impact of agricultural run-off from “Green Acres,” the district’s livestock farm. The school district will purchase materials to monitor the stream that runs outside the school building.

    • Noble Local School District received a grant to support the Medical Pathway Clinic Classroom Renovation project. This project will provide visual aids and medical materials for students participating in the Medical Pathway program at Noble Local School District in collaboration with Zane State College.

    • Noble Local School District received a grant to support the Mobile Maker Lab Expands STEM Across Elementary project. This project will develop a mobile maker lab with a rolling tool cabinet to give students more access to a STEM Lab.

    • Noble Local School District received a grant to support the Programming for House Points project. The House Points program at Shenandoah Elementary groups students into teams to earn points schoolwide for positive behavior and achievements.

    • Switzerland of Ohio Local School District received a grant to support the Raspberry Pi Computing project. This project will teach students how to properly assemble computer hardware, install operating system packages, and connect external devices, with the purchase of 5 Raspberry Pi mini-computers. These computers will also be used to teach coding and basic computer concepts for beginners.