Calvert City, KY – March 2, 2021 – The Calvert City Community Advisory Team (CCCAT) awarded $13,779 in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for eight mini- and major-grants to five local schools for spring 2021. The CCCAT also awarded $10,000 in scholarships to two area colleges.
Mini-Grants
Five mini-grants for a total of $3,763.00 were awarded to Benton Elementary, Calvert City Elementary, and Central Elementary Schools based on approved applications:
- Life-Size Dinosaur Banner ($499.00) – Benton Elementary, Teacher Christine Howard (3rd, 4th, 5th)
- STEM Bins ($930.00) – Benton Elementary, Teacher Mandy Miller (1st grade)
- Calvert Preschool takes on Simple Machines ($459.00) – Calvert City Elementary, Teacher Amie Eplee (Pre-K)
- Creating Creative Minds ($1,000.00) – Calvert City Elementary, Teacher Sondra Walker (K-2nd Grade, Special Ed.)
- Light Exploration ($875.00) – Central Elementary, Teacher Rachel Wallace (Pre-K)
“These mini-grants allow our local teachers to purchase educational kits for their classrooms that enable their students to develop new skills and thought processes by using science, technology, engineering, and math in fun and different ways,” said Dr. Thomas Koehler, VP & Site Manager for Wacker Chemical Corporation Calvert City.
Major-Grants
Three major-grants for a total of $10,016.00 were awarded to Calvert City Elementary, Jonathan Elementary, and South Marshall Elementary Schools based on approved applications:
- Outdoor STEM Adventures ($4,567.00) – Calvert City Elementary, Teacher Denae Shelton (K-5th Grades)
- Kickstart a Business: Automate It! ($1,990.00) – Jonathan Elementary, Teacher Brandon Newton (4th-5th Grades)
- Schooling in 2021 “Covid Style” (3,459.00) – South Marshall Elementary, Teachers Janna Archer and Laurel Kinsey (K-5th Grades)
Brandon Newton, the recipient of a former mini-grant award and a Spring 2021 major-grant award and a teacher at Jonathan Elementary School, spoke to the CCCAT members at its February Zoom meeting and demonstrated through video and photos how his students are learning through Legos kits that teach them how to use STEM skills to accomplish simple but challenging goals.
“It is truly an honor and a privilege to be awarded a grant for my classroom. Receiving the CCCAT grants has allowed my students to view education differently. Education is about achieving, exploring, and finding what excites you. Science, technology, engineering, & mathematics is learned best by being hands-on. I can’t think of a better way for students to learn than by playing with LEGOS. With the LEGO Spike Prime kits, my students can design and program LEGOs while learning. This is every child’s dream, and thanks to CCAT it is now a reality at Jonathan Elementary School,” explained Brandon Newton.
Scholarships
The Calvert City Community Advisory Team members approved $10,000.00 in scholarships for 2021 to the West Kentucky Community and Technical College and the University of Kentucky School of Engineering.
- Five $1,000 scholarships for University of Kentucky College of Engineering junior or senior students
- Five $1,000 scholarships for West Kentucky Community and Technical College for industrial maintenance students
“The CCCAT scholarship for UK Engineering students invests in the future of Western Kentucky. It not only provides essential support for the future employees of regional industry in the critical field of engineering, but also provides a tremendous pathway for the awardees to engage with their community through CCCAT,” said David L. Silverstein, Ph.D., P.E., Director, University of Kentucky Paducah Engineering Extended Campus.
The CCCAT encourages scholarship winners to join the group as members, and currently have two students from the University of Kentucky College of Engineering who attend the CCCAT meetings.
The Calvert City Community Advisory Team
The CCCAT members approve applications for mini-grants each spring and fall. Major grants and scholarships are approved each spring. The next round of mini-grant applications will be emailed to the local schools in Marshall and Livingston Counties in the fall of 2021. The grants and scholarships are funded by the 11 Calvert City plant members.
Formed in 1992, the Calvert City Community Advisory Team membership includes area residents and representatives from 11 Calvert City chemical and industrial plants. The team meets eight times a year to discuss issues and share information of interest to both residents and the plants. The group provides a forum for the plants to interact directly with the community.
The 11 Calvert City companies that participate in the advisory team are Arkema, Inc.; Ashland; Clean Earth, Inc. (now Harsco Corporation); Carbide Industries, LLC; Cymetech Corporation; Estron Chemical, Inc.; Evonik Corporation; Lubrizol Advanced Materials; Sekisui SC; Wacker Chemical Corporation; and Westlake Vinyls, Inc.
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