Five area educators are getting a little relief from the stress of proration. Westinghouse Anniston has presented Kitty Stone Elementary School’s Lesley Bean, Karen Nelson and Brigett Vernon and Pleasant Valley Elementary School’s Jennifer Reaves and Kelley Roper with their “We Care” grants.

Since 1998, the $500 “We Care” grants have been awarded by Westinghouse and are given directly to teachers to provide funding for innovative approaches to teaching science, math and technology.

“We have classroom teachers providing their students with unique and exciting activities to enhance their regular textbook information,” said Donna Jackson, Westinghouse’s Education Outreach Coordinator. “With the economy as it is today, teachers are taking advantage of opportunities such as our We Care grants to supplement their reduced classroom budgets.”

Nelson teaches second graders at Kitty Stone and plans on spending her grant money by starting a butterfly garden for the whole school to enjoy. She said that the plants found in the garden would support butterflies in all their stages of life, from caterpillar to butterfly. This will give students the chance to study the life cycle of the butterfly. Nelson said that later, she wants to add a wood chip path to the garden along with benches, water sources and feeders. The project will need volunteers and donations in order to finish and maintain it. For more information on how to help the project, e-mail knelson@jacksonville.k-12.al.com.

Bean works with third grade students at KSES. With her money, she plans on bringing an indoor butterfly garden into her classroom with a project called ‘From Milkweed to Monarch.’ While her project differs from her friend’s, Nelson, she says she still hopes that in the end both of their classes’ gardens can come together at some point in the future.

“This grant has been a huge relief for me,” said Bean. “We have struggled with the lack of state finding, but this grant allows me to do something with the kids the I wouldn’t have had the chance to. This grant money has opened up new doors for us and I am very applicative. I hope Westinghouse continues to do this in the future.”

Vernon also teaches second graders at Kitty Stone. She will be purchasing two netbook computers to add on to her mobile netbook lab in her classroom. With the addition of the new computers, every student she teaches will receive computer technology integration on a daily basis.

“This is actually my third Westinghouse grant to receive,” said Vernon. “It has changed my teaching instruction each year because as the fund we get decrease; it is though these kinds of grants that I am able to keep my classroom innovated and creative for my students.”

Roper teaches fourth grade at Peasant Valley and will be spending her grant money on a program called ‘The Building Blocks of Life.’ In the program the students will be able to examine cells using high powered microscopes and use the scientific process by studying the traits of their classmates.

“I am overjoyed!” said Roper. “I gave this grant a lot of thought and prayer. There was no way could I have purchased this program for my students without this money. I am very thankful.”

Reaves teaches third grade at Pleasant Valley. She plans on spending her grant money on a Moby Pad, a drawing pad that allows her and her students to draw on the whiteboard from anywhere in the classroom. Students can show how they worked out problems without leaving their desks. This is Reaves 2nd time to receive the grant.

“I wouldn’t know what to do without it,” said Reaves. “It brings technology to my classroom.”

Battelle Company, sister company to Westinghouse, also gave out $500 scholarships. Tara Hood, who also teaches at Pleasant Valley, was one of the recipients of those grants. With her money, Hood plans on bringing the “What is Population” program to her classroom. Students will get to study the effects of different stimulus on the populations. Hood said she hopes that the program will encourage her students to start asking more questions about their world and start thinking scientifically.

“When you don’t get any money whatsoever from the state, this is tremendous. This grant is going to make a huge difference,” she said.