March 24, 2025
By MEALAND RAGLAND-HUDGINS
Rutherford County Schools
Educators from eight Rutherford County Schools have been awarded grants from the Tennessee Valley Authority, allowing them to better integrate science, technology, engineering, and math into their lessons.
Nearly 650 applications were submitted and 342 were selected for funding up to $5,000, for an overall total of $1.5 million. TVA provides electricity to customers in seven states. Preference was given to applications focused on environment, energy, economic development, and community problem-solving.
“We know STEM teachers across the region are inspiring students to become the workforce for the future and that’s why it’s so important for TVA to continue to support his grant program,” TVA President and CEO Jeff Lyash said in a news release. “Providing additional resources to schools helps provide essential hands-on learning programs that equip students with skills that will help them be successful in whatever they choose to do in life.”
Here's how RCS educators will put the grants to use:
Zach Martin, Blackman Middle: Students will build agricultural hexacopter drones to help farmers manage crops and check for disease remotely.
Marc Guthrie, Central Magnet: The grant will be used to purchasing parts for an upcoming robotics competition, part of the NASA’s Human Exploration Rover Challenge. The competition is held at the at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. One of 27 teams chosen for the remote control portion of the contest, Central will compete against their peers and collegiate teams from the U.S. and several foreign countries.
Emily Mayberry, Lascassas Elementary: The grant will help build first-graders’ 21st Century skills by showing them how computer science standards are at use in everyday life and how to transfer that knowledge into different areas of coding with technology. The ultimate objective is to have students confident in creating and developing code, whether unplugged, on a computer program or with a robot.
Rachel Hibdon, Rocky Fork Middle: Using Lego Education kits, students will virtually visit national parks and solve STEM challenges based on real world challenges present in those parks. The hope is to expand students’ horizons to learn about new places, provide STEM experiences and highlight career opportunities.
Shields Templeton, Rockvale Elementary: "We Built This City" allows students to use 3-D pens to create a city for our 10 Ozzo Bots to travel through, and building destinations to code them to visit. Students will use the resources purchased with funds from this grant to design, build and create buildings bridges and tools that meet objectives given.
Lichelle Leonard, Smyrna Elementary: “There’s no Crying in STEM” will be a new after-school club for girls in grades 3-5 interested in STEM education and careers. Smyrna Elementary’s mission is to provide real-world connections for every student.
Kevin Welch, Stewarts Creek Middle: STEM students will learn how to work with artificial intelligence in a variety of ways, including image/facial recognition and self-driving automobiles.
Katelyn Ross, Stewartsboro Elementary: Stewartsboro is working towards building an agricultural program. These funds will help provide composting materials and raised garden beds to teach the students about conservation and sustainable living.
Schools that receive power from a local power company served by TVA, such as Middle Tennessee Electric, were eligible to apply. The grant program is operated in partnership with Bicentennial Volunteers Inc., a TVA retiree organization, and the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network, managed by the Battelle organization.