Lexington One Educational Foundation announces fall 2021 W. P. Rawl School Garden Mini-Grant Award winners

Through the generous support of Walter P. Rawl & Sons, the Lexington One Educational Foundation has presented the W. P. Rawl School Garden Mini-Grant Awards biannually for the past eight years. This foundation fund has provided grant support for our Lexington District One schools to create or maintain school gardens with a specific academic purpose. Each garden project should enhance students’ knowledge of diet and nutrition, or focus on another related academic subject. The grant awards this fall totaled $1,726 and individual awards ranged from $250 to sustain a current school garden and up to $500 to build a new school garden.

We extend congratulations to the following schools and project leaders that were chosen as the Lexington One Educational Foundation’s Fall 2021 W. P. Rawl School Garden Mini-Grant Award recipients:

• Beechwood Middle School – Anne M. Peterson and Haleigh D. McCartha
• Lexington High School – Karen Kish
• Pelion Elementary School – Dru Conrad
• Saxe Gotha Elementary – Kimberly Lewis
• White Knoll High School – Johnny Thompson

Projects funded this fall will create three new gardens, while sustaining two others, and enhance the educational experiences of 1040 students. The grant projects this fall cover a variety of topics. One school project will maintain wheelchair accessible garden beds and an indoor glow garden. Another will teach special education students healthy eating habits while the students learn how to plant and maintain a garden. One project will revitalize a courtyard by creating a vegetable garden and a pollinator garden. Another project will implement a new initiative of Growth Mindset for students with disabilities by planting an orchard and journaling goals.

Since this is the final cycle of the W.P. Rawl School Garden Mini-Grants, the Lexington One Educational Foundation board and staff extend many thanks to the leaders at W.P. Rawl for the company’s generous support of the foundation, as well as the Lexington District One students who’ve been involved in these amazing garden projects. Foundation Executive Director Julie Anderson Washburn shared, “We are so appreciative of corporate partners like W.P. Rawl who invest in our Lexington District One students through their donations. This type of generous support makes creative and enriching educational projects possible in our schools!”

About Lexington County School District One Educational Foundation

Established in 1994 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, the Lexington One Educational Foundation is a source of growth and support for Lexington County School District One. Our mission is to support the district’s educational programs and enrich the quality of life in our community by raising and managing funds. Annually, the Foundation works to build partnerships with individuals and corporations in order to benefit our students, teachers, and schools. We plant seeds in our district that bloom into amazing educational opportunities for our students! To learn more about our mission and how to give, visit: www.lexington1.net/educationalfoundation.