Two Neenah Joint School District projects were each recipients of $5,000 environmental education grants from SCA.
The Arete Academy at Neenah High School and Velocity Academy at Shattuck Middle School were among 16 recipients nationwide of the grants that help local schools foster environmental learning among students of all ages. Students will be able to delve into projects to study hydroponics, water quality, urban gardening, future cities and more.
The Arete Academy is an innovative project based learning program that combined all four core subject areas and is comprised of about 110 freshmen and sophomore students. Assessment is conducted through authentic projects rather than testing. The grant will fund a greenhouse composting area and a rain barrel project in order to study hydroponics, genetics in biology and sustainability. Students will grow produce to be able to use in farm-to-table meal preparation for the school’s culinary arts program.
Velocity is a similar program at the middle school level that incorporates all subject areas into a regular school day in a creative fashion for reluctant learners. The grant will help fund a garden project. Velocity already maintains several raised garden beds and the grant will assist in expanding the gardens to grow produce that will be donated to the needy. The project also will help teach other students how to properly plant and grow produce.
“Each year we are so amazed by the response to our program,” said Amy Bellcourt, Vice President of Communications for AfH Professional Hygiene. “We’ve have seen the projects increase in complexity and scale, and we are so grateful that educators are embracing sustainability so ambitiously.”
In total, SCA has donated more than $300,000 to schools and organizations throughout the country since the environmental grants program was launched in 2008. Grants are awarded in communities where SCA has operations.
SCA is a leading global hygiene and forest products company that develops and produces personal care products, tissue and forest products. SCA has 44,000 employees, including approximately 950 in the Fox Cities. The company employs nearly 760 between its Menasha mill and Neenah converting facility and 170 at its Service Excellence Center in the Town of Menasha.
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