Educational Foundation Awards $13,582 in Innovation Grants for K-8 Schools for 2022-2023 School Year
MEDIA CONTACT
Julie Anderson Washburn, Lexington One Educational Foundation Executive Director
PH: 803.821.1008
Megan Moore, Lexington District One Communications Director
PH: 803.821.1155
NEWS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2022, LEXINGTON, S.C. — The Lexington One Educational Foundation recently awarded a total of $13,582 in Innovation Grants for K-8 Schools to four schools in Lexington County School District One.
These Innovation Grants, valued at up to $5,000 each, advance existing or future cutting-edge educational efforts at the elementary or middle school level. Each school had to commit to a 10% match in order to apply. This Educational Foundation investment will positively affect 1900 students in Lexington District One during the 2022-23 school year.
Congratulations to the following Lexington District One schools for their 2022-2023 Innovation Grant award:
- Beechwood Middle School – $4,500.00 Innovation Grant Award – The “3D Printing for the Future” project will create a lab that will facilitate the addition of a 9-week CAD/3D Design and Printing course. Students will use the printers to produce a variety of projects to solve real-world problems designing everything from adaptive equipment to enclosures for animals at the zoo. With a growing number of industries using this technology and the skill set it requires, the hope is to spark students’ interest in CAD/3D Design and Printing.
- Gilbert Middle School – $5,000.00 Innovation Grant Award – The “Outdoor Education Program” project will increase collaboration among students and staff by building a low ropes course. The rope course will consist of a series of obstacles that students and staff will navigate together and will be a major component of the newly developed Outdoor Education Program. The project will work in conjunction with the “Leadership Unit” which will focus on accountability, communication, collaboration and critical thinking.
- Meadow Glen Elementary School – $4,082.35 Innovation Grant Award – The “Spiking Robotics Across MGES” project funds will be used to update the robotics competition program to the LEGO SPIKE Prime Sets enabling the LEGO SPIKE Essential Kits to be used for second through fifth grade students. These kits will provide the most updated technology for the competition team while also providing the upper grade students the opportunity to learn with the same level technology designed for their peers participating in the robotics program.
Foundation Executive Director Julie Anderson Washburn stated, “Each year the Lexington One Educational Foundation Board of Directors encourages innovation in the classroom by offering these grants. Over the past eight years, the Educational Foundation has awarded 36 Innovation Grants worth a total investment of $154,167 in Lexington District One. These Innovation Grants have created some amazing learning experiences at seventeen of our schools, which have benefited almost 23,400 students. We are thrilled to support such leading-edge educational opportunities for our elementary and middle school students. We are also very thankful to individuals and businesses that invest in Lexington District One through charitable gifts to the Educational Foundation.”
About Lexington County School District One Educational Foundation
Established in 1994 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, the Lexington One Educational Foundation is a source of growth and support for Lexington County School District One. Its mission is to support the district’s educational programs and enrich the quality of life in the Lexington community by raising and managing funds. Annually, the Foundation works to build partnerships with individuals, corporations and foundations in order to benefit Lexington One students, teachers, and schools. We plant seeds in our district that bloom into amazing educational opportunities for our students! To learn more about our mission and how to give, visit: Lex1EdFound.org.
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