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CASSOPOLIS — Midwest Energy a d Communications surprised 26 teachers in January with grant awards from the 2021 Strengthening Schools program. Grants are funded with partnership dollars from Wolverine Power Cooperative, MEC’s power supplier.

MEC received 66 viable grant applications totaling over $151,000 for the 2021 grant cycle. A committee consisting of three co-op electric customers evaluated and scored all applications and determined final awards without knowledge of the school, district, or community.

The following grants were awarded:

• Bert Goens Learning Center (Van Buren Intermediate School District), updated technical equipment
• Brookside Learning Center (Lewis Cass Intermediate School District), calming sensory kits
• Cassopolis Middle School, train-the-trainer teacher certification for district-wide Crisis Prevention and Intervention
• Cassopolis Middle School, water bottle filling station
• Clinton Community Schools, updating band equipment with new mascot
• Clinton High School, solar charging station
• Coloma Elementary School, creation of health room
• Eau Claire Middle/High School, graphing calculators
• Fayette Elementary, Math and STEM classroom supplies
• Lawrence Elementary, commercial sewing equipment and outdoor stencils
• Lawton High School, green club gardening equipment
• Lawton High School, microphone and headsets for drama program
• Madison Schools, health clinic software program
• Madison Elementary, Chromebook cases and headphones
• Marcellus Elementary, two incubators for chicken eggs
• Mattawan Middle School, beekeeping club supplies
• Mendon Middle School, 60 copies of the novel “Flush”
• Mendon Middle/High School, premium teacher version of Legends of Learning for math students
• Morenci Elementary, science magnet kits
• Schoolcraft Elementary, water bottle filling station
• Schoolcraft Middle School, water bottle filling station
• Springbrook Middle School (Adrian), life skills, anger management, and gang prevention curricula
• Springbrook Middle School (Adrian), earbuds for use with Chromebooks
• Van Buren Intermediate School District Behavioral Education Center, Second Step program materials
• Van Buren Tech Center, laminator
• Volinia Outcomes (Marcellus), washer and dryerEric Hayner, Resource Room teacher at Mattawan Middle School, acknowledged his award with the following note, “I wanted to express my gratitude in your organization’s support of my beekeeping club! Your funds make a huge difference in being able to support my students, the bees, and the community as a whole.”

MEC launched the Strengthening Schools grant program in 2013 to help public school teachers reach their students in new and exciting ways. Since 2013, the co-op has awarded 219 grants totaling $270,768.10.

Information and applications for the 2021-22 funding cycle will be available at teammidwest.com beginning in April.