The Logan County School District has received a $10,000 grant from America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund. The district will use the money to purchase classroom materials that align with the Next Generation Science Standards recently adopted by the Kentucky State Board of Education.
The Next Generation Science Standards take students deeper into science through hands-on exploration activities that become more complex as students advance through grade levels. The grant will allow the school district to purchase supplies such as water testing kits, stopwatches, test tubes, petri dishes, trundle wheels, and owl pellets to conduct these experiments and activities. Opportunities to take learning outside of the classroom will also be possible, including day trips to farms, museums, and nature centers. Through these activities, students will be able to recognize how to apply what they learn in the classroom to experiences outside of school.
“We knew we would be lacking funds to purchase instructional materials to meet these new standards,” said Dawn Slaton, Logan County Schools curriculum consultant. “We want to express our gratitude to the 22 farmers who nominated our district and for their interest in our students’ achievement and learning potential.”
This past spring, local farmers nominated the district for a chance to apply for the grant. School administrators then designed a science-based project for the grant application. Once all of the school district applications were submitted, a panel of math and science teachers reviewed each application and selected finalists. An advisory council, composed of farmer-leaders with an interest in agriculture and education, then selected the winning grant applications from a pool of finalists.
“Agriculture has become one of the most technologically advanced industries, so farmers are very aware of the need for superior math and science education, particularly in their own communities,” said Monsanto Customer Advocacy Lead Linda Arnold. “We are proud to partner with farmers to support the things that are most important to them—schools, youth, and their community.”
Logan County Schools celebrated receiving the grant on Sept. 23, before the championship match of the middle school volleyball tournament. Nominating farmers, school representatives and local Monsanto representative Scott Cooper attended the event.
Grow Rural Education encourages farmers to nominate a local public school district, which can then compete for a grant of up to $25,000. Since 2011, Grow Rural Education has invested more than $7 million to support math and science education in rural school districts across the country.
This program is part of the America’s Farmers initiative, which partners with farmers to support education, service organizations and youth in rural America. Visit GrowRuralEducation.com to see the full list of winners for this year. A sister program, America’s Farmers Grow Communities is currently in its enrollment period. To sign up, visit GrowCommunities.com.
Scott Cooper is a Logan County native who is Asgrow/DEKALB District Sales Manager for Monsanto.