Hendron-Lone Oak Elementary School received a $7,500 check on Thursday from State Farm Insurance to help the school open a STEAM club.
Read MoreThe Reidland Middle School 21st Century Program was one of 40 programs nationwide to earn a $25,000 grant through the State Farm Insurance Neighborhood Assist program.
Read MoreThe Paducah Independent and McCracken County school districts will share a grant to help homeless students with non-academic issues that prevent them from learning.
Read MoreReidland Middle School is in a good position to be one of 40 projects to earn a $25,000 grant through State Farm Insurance’s Neighborhood Assist program, but it is not a done deal, and you can help it finish strong.
Read MoreReidland Middle School Assistant Principal Dylan Sonnek (left) and McCracken County School District grant writer Genevieve Postlethwait sit in the lobby of the school on Tuesday. RMS is in the running to be one of 40 schools nationwide to earn a $25,000 Neighborhood Assist grant from State Farm.
Read MoreWhile a school applying for a grant might normally hope that there would be “no strings attached” to the award, that was not the case for Reidland Elementary School.
Read MoreA pair of local middle schools received $15,000 to support greenhouse improvements and the further creation of outdoor learning spaces.
Read MoreThe McCracken County School District will continue its 21st Century programs, as it received a $1.96 million grant from the Kentucky Department of Education to fund those programs for the next five school years.
Read MoreWith the help of a $1,300 grant from VSA KY, this spring Reidland Intermediate and Middle Art Teacher Cathy Lyles will work with Yeiser Art Center Executive Director Lexie Abra Milliken to teach students the meditative art of weaving.
Read MoreLast month, Hendron-Lone Oak Elementary School and The Moses Basket of Calvert City were announced as two of 40 organizations in 19 states to win a $25,000 grant from State Farm's Neighborhood Assist Program.
Read MoreIn August, both Hendron Lone Oak Elementary and The Moses Basket of Calvert City were selected as finalists for the chance to receive a $25,000 grant from State Farm's Neighborhood Assist program.
But to win and receive the funding, community votes were needed.
State Farm launched a website on Aug. 15, giving community members the opportunity to go online and vote daily for their organizations until Aug. 24. Tuesday morning, both the local school and nonprofit had cause to celebrate as they learned that they were voted by their community as two of 40 top causes and would receive the grant.
Read MoreThe McCracken County School District board approved the receipt of a 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant on behalf of Reidland Elementary School at its meeting Thursday.
Read MoreMonday's signing of a Work Ready Skills Initiative agreement between area school districts and West Kentucky Community and Technical College may have been ceremonial, but educators say the grant's long-term benefits are quite tangible.
WKCTC was awarded the $3.04 million Work Ready grant to distribute to area technology centers and career and technical centers in five counties and 11 area high schools in the college's service region. The money will be used to enhance educational and workforce training. The agreement runs through Aug. 31, 2019.
To promote partnerships between McCracken preschools and local child care centers, McCracken County Preschool was recently awarded a $150,000 grant.
According to Tina Hayes, director of elementary instruction for McCracken County Public Schools, the money won't be spent like a lot of institutions might use it.
Read MoreLone Oak Middle School is the latest McCracken County school to be awarded a 21st Century Community Learning Center grant, which will total $675,000 over five years for before- and after-school programs.
Read MoreAs part of the Work Ready Skills Initiative, Kentucky has already granted more than $65 million to 25 projects across the state.
About $34 million is still up for grabs, and McCracken County High School hopes to get $8.2 million of it.
Read MoreIf it weren't for the 21st Century Community Learning Center at Heath Elementary School, Harold Tackett isn't sure what he would do with his two children.
Read MoreFew ribbon cuttings generate as much excitement as the one Friday for Hendron-Lone Oak Elementary's new Project Fit program. The moment the giant scissors made their appearance, the 400-plus kids gathered in the gym gasped in excitement and began chanting, "Cut it! Cut it!" When the ribbon fell, cheers and screams erupted.
Hendron-Lone Oak is the latest of 12 local schools across the region awarded Project Fit America grants over the past nine years, all sponsored by Baptist Health Paducah, to fund indoor and outdoor fitness equipment, curriculum materials and teacher training.
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At a time when schools statewide are straining to bridge gaps between falling funding and rising expenses, grants from outside sources are allowing districts to continue offering students new educational opportunities.
"Grants can provide programs or resources that just wouldn't be possible otherwise, and it's always been that way," said Adam Shull, grant writer for McCracken County Public Schools. "But there is more attention on seeking and getting grants these days because of dwindling funding of education at the state and federal level. It's more of a priority now than when funding was stronger."
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