The Washington County Community Foundation recently awarded EIO Fund grants totaling $68,000 to the Ringgold, Bethlehem-Center, Charleroi Area, McGuffey and Trinity Area school districts and the Mon Valley Career & Technology Center. Funding for the grants was provided by EQT Corp. Stephanie Paluda, EQT local government and community affairs specialist, and Milana Nick, WCCF Allocations & Programs coordinator, recently met with school representatives to present the grants and discuss the implementation of the programs. McGuffey School District, above, was awarded $10,000 to purchase equipment needed for students to complete data analysis, a germination program and a Tilapia breeding program with each elementary school’s greenhouse and aquaponic growing system. Students will use technology to monitor system levels and collect data for scientific analysis as they study sustainable agriculture. Bethlehem-Center, below, also was awarded $10,000 to update the technology in the middle school media center. Students will engage in a variety of educational activities to complete research projects and create presentations with the use of iPads, video cameras and green screen technology. Other grants were awarded as follows: • Ringgold – $18,000 to incorporate the STEM-based biomimicry program into the eighth-grade science curriculum. Students will use Chromebooks, Google classroom and Autodesk software to study environmental ecology and collaborate on solutions to resolve regional environmental concerns. • Charleroi – $10,000 to purchase of a Computer Numerical Control router for the district’s Digital Maker Lab. The CNC equipment will allow students to transform their ideas with CAD/CAM technology and produce three-dimensional products that can be held, tested, measured and modified to solve real-world problems. • Mon Valley Career & Technology Center – $10,000 to develop a STEM-related career exploration program to provide students exposure to a wide range of career paths for high-priority occupations at a younger age. As a culminating activity, students will access the Mon Valley CTC to create and fabricate products based on their unit of study. • Trinity – $10,000 to purchase a variety of robotics and drones with varying levels of design, programming and customization for use by fifth- through 12th-graders.