Good news for Nimitz students

Some very exciting news was revealed this week Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) students at Nimitz Middle School. The seventh and eighth-graders learned they were awarded grants for several projects they spent weeks working on before the mandatory school closures.

“The purpose was to design a project that will provide some benefit to the school, community and the environment,” said Nimitz environmental science teacher Jennifer Humphrey.

The students spent eight weeks designing the projects, researching different ideas and collecting data.

They determined the cost of materials needed for their projects, created a video about their projects and wrote them grant application themselves.

All four projects: a solar-paneled vertical garden, greenhouse renovation with aroma garden, water bottle refill station for a water fountain, and enclosed butterfly garden will be funded by a $1,600 grant provided by EcoRise, an organization that supports environmental education in today’s students.

“Funds from these awards will be used towards student-driven projects that will divert 43 pounds of plastic from the landfill, save 100 gallons of water, grow 510 pounds of food for the community, and convert 389 square feet of campus space to vegetable and pollinator gardens, “ said Kristi Hibler-Luton with EcoRise.

While there are still a lot of unknowns right now, one thing is sure: these projects will get done.

“I also sponsor a community service club. The students in the club may end up finishing some of the projects if the original students are unable,” said Humphrey. “The advantage of this is that even though the writers of the grant may not be able to finish, the project they designed will still get built no matter what.”