CASSOPOLIS — Midwest Energy Cooperative supported the work of 22 public schools across its service territory, awarding $30,000 in grants to support academic initiatives and students. The inaugural Strengthening Schools grant program is a collaborative effort between Midwest Energy and Touchstone Energy Cooperative.

 

In total, 72 grants were submitted totaling more than $130,000 in requests. A committee comprised of four cooperative member-owners evaluated applications and ultimately determined the awards. All applications were evaluated and awarded without knowledge of the school, district or community.

 

 “Our partnership with Touchstone Energy allowed us to introduce something really positive and important. There was so much passion and enthusiasm in the process, both from the teachers who took time to submit grants and from the committee who ultimately determined the awards. It’s our own membership taking an active role to make a tremendous difference in our communities,” said Patty Nowlin, director of community relations at Midwest.

 

Awards were presented to the following schools and projects:

 

·         Coloma High School, $2500 to support the purchase of SolidWorks Parametric Design Software for the School of Engineering

 

·         Coloma Middle School, $1300 to purchase supplies to introduce an interactive compost project into the science curriculum

 

·         Constantine High School, $400 to purchase Idea Paint to create a more interactive classroom and enhance the student learning environment

 

·         Edwardsburg High School, $2000 to purchase technology for science students to collect and analyze nuclear radiation

 

·         Hartford Middle School, $1700 to purchase mobile tablets to support classroom learning

 

·         Dowagiac’s Kincheloe Elementary School, $1799 to purchase and implement a Leveled Literacy Intervention program and $200 to purchase new electrical circuit kits for science classes

 

·         Lawrence Elementary School, $835 to introduce and support an art program

 

·         Lawton Elementary School, $1300 to provide educational materials and curriculum for the school garden program to connect the project with math, reading, science and history standards

 

·         Marcellus Elementary School, $2500 to enhance the school’s Sensory Lab

 

·         Mattawan Middle School, $720 to purchase a classroom set of balance balls for students with sensory processing disorders, ADD/ADHD and other identified special needs

 

·         Paw Paw Later Elementary School, $1700 to purchase mobile tablets to support classroom learning

 

·         Paw Paw Middle School, $1700 to purchase mobile tablets to support classroom learning

 

·         Ruth Hoppin Elementary (Three Rivers), $1500 to purchase books for the creation of a leveled reading book room

 

·         Sunset Lake Elementary (Vicksburg), $329 to provide technology software to create a classroom mobile interactive whiteboard

 

·         Woodside Elementary School (Hartford), $2000 to support an extended day science education trip to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago