Six schools served by Duck River Electric Membership Corporation have been awarded a combined total of $22,000 in grants to support their respective STEM curriculums.

These schools include Forrest Elementary in Marshall County; North Lake Elementary, North Coffee Elementary and Hickerson Elementary schools in Coffee County; and Decherd Elementary and Huntland School in Franklin County.

The STEM grants are made possible by the Tennessee Valley Authority, in partnership with Bicentennial Volunteers, Inc., a TVA retiree organization, to develop science, technology, engineering, and math education projects to help spark student interest in future careers in STEM-related fields.

A record-tying $1.5 million in grants were awarded to educators in schools across the Valley to develop science, technology, engineering, and math education projects across the Tennessee Valley region.

Teachers across TVA’s seven-state region applied for funding of up to $5,000 for projects, and 342 schools received the grants. More than 130,000 students across the Tennessee Valley will benefit from the grants. Schools that are awarded grants must receive their power from a local power company served by TVA, which includes Duck River Electric.

“We applaud these six schools for receiving the grants to support STEM education in their classrooms and inspire the youth in Coffee, Franklin and Marshall counties,” says DREMC President and CEO James Wright.

From creating robots, ozobots, and student-produced podcasts to using outdoor classrooms to study butterflies and birds to maintaining a worm farm to learn the benefits nutrient-rich castings have on plants and the environment, each school and STEM coordinator has a vision of how to bring engaging hands-on learning to the classroom. STEM education equips students with the knowledge and skills to tackle real-world challenges through creative solutions.

“We look forward to seeing how the schools apply the STEM project funding to encourage innovation and out-of-the-box thinking as your students learn new skills that can be applied to their current and future success,” added Wright. “Fostering a love of learning is critical, and STEM education can reach students on a level to inspire them where traditional classroom curriculum may not.”

“We know STEM teachers across the region are inspiring students to become the workforce of the future, and that’s why it’s so important for TVA to continue supporting this grant program,” said Jeff Lyash, TVA president and CEO. “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.”

Since 2018, TVA and BVI have awarded nearly $6 million in STEM grants to support local education.

A full list of grant recipients, and information on how to apply for a future STEM grant can be found here.

DREMC’s Amy Holcomb joins TVA’s Tamieka Russell to present the $3,500 STEM grant to Decherd Elementary School in Franklin County. 

DREMC’s Amy Holcomb and TVA’s Tamieka Russell presented Huntland School in Franklin County with a $5,000 STEM grant.

TVA’s Tamieka Russell and DREMC’s Bryan Seals and Jeremy Williams present the $3,500 STEM grant to Forrest School in Marshall County.

North Coffee Elementary School in Franklin County received a $3,500 TVA STEM grant. Pictured are DREMC’s Rob Edde and Amy Holcomb with TVA’s Tamieka Russell and representatives of the school. 

TVA’s Tamieka Russell and DREMC’s Ben McTier and Gaby West present a $5,000 STEM grant to Hickerson Elementary in Coffee County.

North Lake Elementary School in Franklin County received a $3,500 TVA STEM grant. Pictured are DREMC’s Rob Edde and Amy Holcomb with TVA’s Tamieka Russell and representatives of the school.