Sixteen UCOR grants awarded to Anderson County educators
URS|CH2M Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR) has announced 38 winners from five East Tennessee counties —16 granst going to educators in Anderson County — in the 2018 UCOR Education Mini-Grant Program which recognizes and supports excellence in teaching.
The winning teachers were recognized at a reception hosted by UCOR at Calhoun’s in Oak Ridge.
Awarded annually since 2012, grant funds assist classroom teachers in developing specific projects or curricula, focusing primarily on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
“One of UCOR’s primary objectives is to support and encourage education initiatives,” Ken Rueter, UCOR President and Project Manager, said.
“The UCOR Mini-Grant Program enables teachers to enhance their students’ educational experiences. Selected projects funded by our program give students a greater insight into the essential STEM subjects in fun and exciting ways.”
Applications were screened and awardees selected using a blind process that prevented members of the selection panel from knowing the names of the teachers or the schools. Schools in Roane, Anderson, Loudon, Knox and Morgan counties were eligible to submit proposals.
UCOR is the Department of Energy’s cleanup contractor for the East Tennessee Technology Park (former Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant) and other sites on its Oak Ridge Reservation.
The 2018 Mini-Grant Winners in Anderson County are:
• “Engage STEM” Shelby Haun (Director ACS Preschool/Head Start), Anderson County Schools Afterschool
• “Creative Building Blocks“ Janis Bishop, Briceville Elementary School
• “Robots Everywhere” Nicole Jett, Claxton Elementary School
• “Math ACT Prep Support” Karen Campbell, Clinton High School
• “Let’s Filter It Out” Cristen Holden, Clinton Middle School
• “From Quadratics to Correlation Coefficients: Mathematical Modeling Using TI83s” Ligia Boundy, Clinton Middle School
• “Building STEM Leaders of Tomorrow” Amanda Cupp and Kristina Kenny, Crossroads Academy
• “Read Like an Oceanographer” Kristi Boruff, Glenwood Elementary School
• “The Living Classroom” Shasta Gilliam, Grand Oaks Elementary School
• “The Robotics Challenge” Janie Shanafield, Jefferson Middle School
• “To STEMfinity and Beyond: Full STEAM Ahead ” Lisa Buckner, Linden Elementary School
• “C02 Dragster Track” Madison Jones, Norris Middle, Clinton Middle, Lake City Middle Schools
• “Electric Automobile Re-energized (Mazda Miata)” Mr. Patrick LaDue, Oak Ridge High School
• “RamSat Ground Control, Sponsored by UCOR” Todd Livesay, Robertsville Middle School
• “STEM Opportunities for SPED” Andie Breeden, South Clinton Elementary School
• “Robots Everywhere” Lorrie Irwin, South Clinton Elementary School
