Corinth School District Receives STEM Grants from TVA

By Hannah Montgomery 

Corinth Elementary School and Corinth High School each received $5,000 STEM classroom grants sponsored by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in partnership with Bicentennial Volunteers Incorporated (BVI) and facilitated by the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network. 

Corinth High School was awarded the $5,000 grant for its application, “Innovate, Collaborate, and Fabricate: Cultivating our Community's Future Entrepreneurs.”  Corinth High School will use the funds to supplement a fabrication lab that will serve approximately 200 students across science, technology, art, and business classes, while also extending opportunities through afterschool programs, intersession camps, and summer enrichment activities. Students will engage in the full product development lifecycle: identifying community needs, brainstorming solutions, designing digitally, prototyping, testing, and producing final products using industry-relevant equipment such as a Cricut machine, heat press, sublimation machine, and Bambu 3D printer. 

High school teachers and students are looking forward to using these grant funds. “This project allows our students to move beyond theory and become creators,” said Beverly Shanks, teacher at Corinth High School and grant recipient. “Students will not only design and fabricate products but also learn to think like entrepreneurs conducting market research, developing marketing plans and presenting their final products to authentic audiences.”

Corinth Elementary School was awarded $5,000 grant to implement an innovative, hands-on agricultural learning project titled “Planting a Seed of Knowledge for a Green Future.” Corinth Elementary will use this grant to support a comprehensive “From Seed to Harvest” interdisciplinary project serving approximately 500 students in 2nd through 4th grade. Teachers and students will create outdoor raised garden beds. The project will span at least two academic quarters and integrate science, math, environmental studies, and technology into one cohesive learning experience. 

Students will actively participate in every stage of the plant life cycle, from preparing soil and planting seeds to monitoring growth and harvesting produce. Using tools such as a time-lapse camera and digital soil moisture and pH meters, students will collect and analyze data, document findings in observation journals, and apply math skills to measure and chart plant growth. “This project brings learning to life,” said Kimberly Jones, STEM Teacher at Corinth Elementary. “Students will not only learn about plant science, but they will also develop critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills as they design and refine their growing systems.” 

The Corinth School District extends its gratitude to TVA, BVI, Battelle Education, and TSIN for investing in the future workforce of Alcorn County and their continued investment in STEM education for Corinth students and teachers.