The Poplar Bluff School Foundation has approved $5,700 toward five grants covering a range of building projects, with the potential to double its investment depending on alternative funding sources being sought for an additional proposal.
R-I Superintendent Dr. Aaron Cornman commended the Foundation directors for “spreading around” their resources with grants allocated to the Kindergarten Center, Eugene Field, Junior High, Senior High and the Technical Career Center. A total of 16 Innovative Educational Project applications received administrative approval for consideration by the annual deadline.
“We’re looking for something students are not gonna learn from the regular curriculum; something that will enhance our learning environment so we have an edge over other schools,” said Foundation chairman John Wolpers during the organization’s November meeting.
Among the greenlit projects was a classroom kit of Ozobots to help robotics elective students at Junior High learn coding. “The goal of the robotics program is to get students familiar with coding and see it come to life through the programming of actual robots,” instructor Hilary Taylor wrote in her successful proposal.
Taylor noted that the batteries from a previous kit acquired in 2018 were no longer holding a charge. She was able to purchase replacements during a Cyber Monday sale.
The Kindergarten Center received approval for a professional cellular weather station with a display module and one-year data plan, along with a weather/wheel chart for each classroom to gather real-time environmental data. “It gives teachers the ability to integrate authentic data into science, math and literacy lessons, helping students see how technology can deepen their connection to the outdoors rather than replace it,” Technology Director Aaron Badgley wrote.
Partnering with Principal Christy Young on the project, Badgley installed the weather station over winter break, complete with a rain gauge, solar panel and an anemometer. The school site is presently listed on Weather Underground.
The High School Special Education Department was able to purchase a tilt-head stand mixer, panini maker, airpot coffee dispenser, air fryer, towel set and bedsheets to teach cooking and folding skills in its independent living classes. “Funds will be used to further the learning experiences for students [acquiring] skills to help them live as independently as possible after high school,” teacher Miranda Huddleston noted.
The items, ordered this week, will serve to expand the school’s Coffee Crew program, presently in its eighth year. Students serve refreshments to faculty members from the cart two days a week to help develop pre-vocational skills essential for their post-graduation transition.
The TCC computer maintenance program was able to acquire a GoPro kit with a microphone, light, grip and tripod, paired with a greenscreen to enhance and expand its focus by incorporating digital media creation. “…This grant will help transform the computer maintenance and repair program from a traditional STEM-focused course into one that aligns with the modern ‘STEAM’ model by blending technology with creativity,” instructor Sarah Sullivan summarized.
The equipment has since arrived, the teacher reported, and is expected to be used by spring to promote the projects taking place within the program, primarily for recruitment purposes.
Eugene Field bought a heavy-duty sewing machine with a foot pedal and carrying case to replace a damaged hand-me-down used for a decade in Michelle Adams’ first-grade class to introduce students to sewing. “This is not just a project, it is a tradition,” stated Adams, who took over leading the craft when a colleague retired.
Using the upgraded Singer machine, Adams was able to carry on her tradition in style prior to Christmas, showing students how to make their own stockings, which they then filled with small presents for their classmates in celebration of the holiday.
The final project on the slate ranked highest by the Foundation, with school board liaison Dr. Mike Price making the motion seconded by Bobbie Tinsley before receiving unanimous approval, was a bovine injection simulator for the High School agriculture program. “By practicing on the simulator, students can gain essential experience without risk of injury to themselves or stress to live animals, ensuring both animal welfare and student safety,” wrote Branden Smith, instructor.
Due to the $5,219 cost of the training tool through Realityworks, the directors requested that Smith first seek matching funding opportunities from the United States Department of Agriculture, the University of Missouri Extension or the Missouri FFA Foundation to determine whether full or partial funding is obtainable elsewhere.
The Foundation is a 501c3 tax-deductible organization that hosts a spring golf tournament as its primary fundraiser. The nonprofit also finances an annual scholarship for a PBHS graduate entering the field of education.
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Cutline: Michelle Adams helps Blake Erwin sew a stocking while Jocelyn Burkhart waits her turn at the new sewing machine on Thursday, Dec. 18, at Eugene Field.