Local News - December 2003

Asbury to receive $20,000 grant

Published December 26, 2003

By SARAH GRANO, Staff Writer

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Asbury students can look forward to helping spend $20,000 worth of grant money once winter break ends.

 The Learn and Serve America grant gives the school $20,000 a year over the next three years.

“At the end of the three years, it’s possible it could affect every student in the county,” said Lisa Jones, an Asbury teacher who applied for the grant.

Other schools in Lincoln County can  also participate in the process and apply for small grants up to $1,000. Middle school teachers should apply for grants between January and March this year.

Over the next two years elementary school and high school teachers can apply for small grants as well.

Asbury received a significantly smaller grant from Learn and Serve America three years ago.

The grant selection process was supposed to be over by October, but staff at Asbury didn’t find out they had the grant until December.

“We thought we didn’t get it,” Jones said.

Even before they knew they had received the grant, Jones and her fellow teachers had many ideas on how to spend the money.

They believe service learning can affect their students in a positive way.

“We have the alternative school children that have been excluded from other schools,” Jones said. “We need to try new and different things with them.”

Building a greenhouse and working with pottery will be the main focus of this year.

Jones hopes the hands on projects will help her students become excited about learning.

“I want them to see something besides ‘I need to get out of school when I turn 16,’” Jones said.

Jones has many other ideas of how to spend the grant money over the next three years.

Many people in the community use the Asbury campus for events, and Jones wants to make their experience more comfortable.

She hopes to build a cook out area for those who visit the campus.

“It’s going to relate to the math and science of construction,” Jones said. “It’s going to be cross curriculum here at Asbury.”

The new projects started by Asbury students will coincide with their regular curriculum, Jones said.

The students can spend time volunteering both before and after school.

“It lets them see that there’s real meaning in learning,” Jones said. “There’s a reason for learning other than just being in school.”

She hopes students will pursue careers they discovered through service learning.

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Staff Writer Sarah Grano can be reached at 704-735-3031 or sgrano@ltnews.com

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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