Chevron’s Fuel Your School program came to a close last week after successfully donating $50,000 to Jackson County schools to help teachers fund their projects with DonorsChoose.org.
Last week, JaxCoHome asked Jackson County teachers to tell us what projects or items they needed for their classroom. These items could include a new microscope, books, computers- anything that encourages learning in the areas of S.T.E.A.M. Chevron believes that effective education including Science, Technology, Engineering the Arts and Math (S.T.E.M.) will foster bright young talent for the future workforce and healthy economic growth for the country.
We had almost 30 submissions from teachers who needed a variety of items, but 5 winners were chosen who best fit the needs within each part of S.T.E.A.M. Each winner received a $100 DonorsChoose.org gift card to be redeemed on the site to help fund their project. Our ‘Science’ winner was Brieanna Bean with the Jackson County Technology Center. Brieanna teaches high school students interested in the healthcare field as a career. Bean’s project needs included hands-on science/life health kits that helped the students get a real-feel experience of working and studying in the medical field. “The kits allow them to see the enzymes working, as they would in the gastrointestinal tract, of the future patients these students will be taking care of; the actual work the kidneys do in filtrating the blood”, says Bean. “The seeing of the process makes the process of learning significantly easier”, she said. With the help of the gift card, Bean’s project became fully-funded, so the students dream of having these kits will now become a reality
Pictured: Brieanna Bean’s Class at Jackson County Technology Center
Our ‘Technology’ winner is Mrs Oreta McMillan’s robotics students at Vancleave Upper Elementary. The 5th and 6th graders compete in robotics competitions with VEX IQ kits. “These DASH robots will allow our 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders to practice coding and allow them to prepare for future robotics events”, says McMillan. “The tablets will allow them to download APPS to help them program and control the robot”, she said. After receiving her DonorsChoose.org gift card, McMillan’s class now needs $700 to be fully funded for their project. To donate to the project, visit this link: httpss://www.donorschoose.org/project/rocking-robots/2886977/?rf=page-siteshare-2017-10-ifproject-teacher_1452542&challengeid=252115
Pictured: Oreta McMillan’s class at Vancleave Upper Elementary
The ‘Education’ winner is Bridget Mudgett at St. Martin Upper Elementary. Mudgett’s Donors Choose project asked for a class set of the novel, Wonder, for her 5th graders. “My students love to read!”, said Mudgett. “They stay after school for book club, give up recess time to volunteer in the school library, and walk to the public library in a small town that’s not very ‘walkable'”, she said. With the help of the gift card, Bridgett’s class has also reached their project goal of $360! “We’re so grateful for this gift card! Now my kids can finally engage like never before”, she said.
Our ‘Arts’ winner is Casie Duffy with Moss Point High School. Duffy’s class needed several iPads for her art class. “With this funding, it will allow my students access to art history research, graphic design experiences, and expand their capabilities as artists by incorpoarting a technological aspect”, says Duffy.
Last, but not certainly not least, the ‘Mathematics’ winner is Lorraine Boleware and her class at Eastlawn Elementary. Boleware teaches special education, but is in an inclusion setting with the general education students. She primarily works with 3rd grade, (Reading gate) and fourth grade (MAAP) state testing classes. “These students must reach the same benchmarks as students who do not have special needs, but they are working and they are trying”, says Boleware. “I have found that the biggest hurdle right now is in multiplication facts for my students. I would like to use different resources that may help them increase their fluency and give them a firm foundation to build on for the rest of the standards in math”, she said. After applying her gift card, Boleware’s class still needs $500 to fund this project. You can donate to this project by visiting the following link: httpss://www.donorschoose.org/project/extra-help-for-success/2884074/. 
Pictured: Lorraine Boleware’s class at Eastlawn Elementary
JaxCoHome would like to thank all of the participants for submitting their projects. “We are so happy we were able to help fully fund 2 of the 5 project winners”, says Chelsea Gee, a representative from JaxCoHome. “This opportunity would not have been possible if it weren’t for the people at Chevron and their consistent efforts to help their local schools”, she said.
