Boardman schools grant funds classroom hydroponic gardening system

BOARDMAN

Finding funding for school programs can be difficult for teachers seeking to keep their classes up-to-date with state-of-the-art technology.

That’s why Amy Radinovic believes the Boardman Schools Fund for Educational Excellence is so important to classroom development.

“I think it’s invaluable” at a time when states are used to cutting funding to school districts. Such community foundations care about the kids and raise the money, and then fund projects that teachers are really invested in and excited about, explained Radinovic, the supervisor of community engagement for the Mahoning County Educational Service Center.

The fund has awarded more than $40,000 to teachers to help them with new projects and teaching methods.

In December 2015, the foundation awarded six teachers with a small grant capped at $1,500 each for their classrooms. Science teachers Scott Lenhart and Laura Kibby used their funding for a hydroponic gardening system, stationed in their science storage room at Glenwood Middle School.

“We identified a variety of areas our students needed to develop, including inquiry skills and understanding where food comes from,” they said together in an email.

Read more about the project in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.