MOULTRIE, Ga. – Hamilton Elementary School was recently selected for the 2022 Possibility Grant Sweepstakes for STEM technology as well as a hydroponics grant. Together, the grants total $13,000.

“The Siemens Foundation selected Hamilton Elementary School from over 10,000 entries to receive one of the five $5,000 grants for 2022 STEM technology,” Krista Harrell, the principal of Hamilton Elementary School, said in an email interview Monday.

According to a Siemens Foundation press release, the Possibility Grant Sweepstakes inspires the next generation of STEM leaders by providing critical resources and support to schools. 

“Over the past seven years, Siemens STEM Day has empowered schools to pursue STEM dreams through both the powerful array of digital resources and the Possibility Grant Sweepstakes. At the Siemens Foundation, we are proud to have supported equity in education alongside Discovery Education by empowering K-12 STEM leaders,” David Etzwiler, the CEO of Siemens Foundation, said in the press release. “Congratulations to the recipients of the 2022 Possibility Grant Sweepstakes – the students involved will undoubtedly help build a more equitable and sustainable world through STEM.”

This is the seventh and final year of the sweepstakes.

“Discovery Education and Siemens Foundation helped educators acquire and use high-quality STEM resources that ultimately help close the opportunity gap for students,” Beth Meyer, the vice president of social impact at Discovery Education, said. “We are proud to empower educators and students with STEM resources to help inspire the STEM leaders of tomorrow.” 

Harrell submitted Hamilton Elementary School into the sweepstakes between early February and late April.

Harrell and the school’s staff were invited to attend a Zoom meeting where the committee announced that they were awarded one of the grants.

“The educators and students at Hamilton Elementary School are thrilled to receive this STEM support,” she said. “With the Possibility Grant Sweepstakes, our students will have the opportunity to participate in the powerful STEM learning experiences that will help improve their chances for future success.”

The grant funds will purchase virtual reality headsets to allow students to take interactive 3D field trips.

“Virtual reality can enhance education by providing students with memorable and immersive experiences that would otherwise not be possible,” Harrell explained. “Virtual experiences engage and inspire students in a unique and powerful way by promoting peer interaction, providing realistic travel experiences to destinations otherwise unreachable for many students, and creating a genuinely immersive and inclusive classroom where all students — even those who face financial or learning disabilities — share with classmates in virtual travel and explore destinations around the world to study the climate, the arts, history, culture, … The opportunities are endless!”

Hamilton Elementary also received an $8,000 grant from Green Our Planet.

According to its website, Green Our Planet is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to igniting curiosity, creating connections to the natural world and positively impacting the futures of students, communities and the globe.

Each classroom will have a hydroponic gardening system. A hydroponic gardening system is a method of growing plants without soil. 

Green Our Planet’s hydroponic gardens provide a natural laboratory for students to learn STEM, conservation, nutrition and financial literacy in a hands-on, experiential way.

The organization provides a seed germinator, nutrient fertilizers, pH, total dissolved solids measurement tools and a 4-foot by 3-foot by 4-foot mobile commercial unit that can grow more than 200 plants at a time. 

The mobile commercial system can be rolled into classrooms or kept in a central location such as a cafeteria, science lab or multi-purpose room.

Some of the produce students will learn to grow includes lettuce, chard, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and strawberries.

Hamilton Elementary School participates in the Georgia Elementary School Agricultural Education Pilot Program. 

Through the program, Hamilton students learn the importance of agriculture and its impact on Colquitt County and the world. 

“We want to continue to support and enhance students’ exposure to the field of agriculture — here at home and globally — and open their eyes to the many future job opportunities,” Harrell said.

Hamilton Elementary has accumulated more than $43,000 in grant funding and more than $30,000 in supplies and seeds over the last three years to sustain and enhance the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Ag/Arts, Math) program under the leadership of STEAM teacher Justin McDowell, Principal Harrell and Assistant Principal Kimberly May.

Other grants have been provided through EMC Big Ideas, Monsanto and Nutrien Ag Solutions.

The school hosts plant sales two times a year with plants the children raise themselves, Harrell said. All the funds are put back into the program and classroom so that students receive 100% of the proceeds and benefits. 

She mentioned the school has a new agriculture committee of community and business members affiliated with local agriculture ties.

“The committee recommended our next step in our daily project-based learning activities to move towards growing and supporting students to raise and show livestock at local and state events through our county 4-H program and the [Colquitt] County extension office,” Harrell shared. 

To learn more about Hamilton Elementary school, please visit www.colquitt.k12.ga.us.