South Carolina Schools Have Opportunity to Earn $50,000 in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Education Grants
April 14, 2011
CHARLESTON, SC – April 14, 2011 – Amid an increased focus onstudent achievement in South Carolina, public schools in the state areinvited to apply for $50,000 in grants for programs that use the freeresources from the Verizon Foundation’s Thinkfinity.org, to improvestudents’ skills in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
The Verizon Foundation will award grants of $5,000 each to 10 public schools in South Carolina to integrate Thinkfinity.org, an online education resource, into the classroom. More information on the grant process is available at www.verizonfoundation.org. Interested public schools should apply online by June 3.
Thinkfinity.org is the Verizon Foundation’s comprehensive online portal that offersmore than 55,000 educational and literacy resources for teachers,parents and students – all of which are at no cost to the school oreducator. Resources include standards-based, grade-specific K-12 lessonplans and engaging interactive activities provided in partnership withmany of the nation’s leading educational and literacy organizations.
“In South Carolina, there is an increased focus from our educationleaders to ensure our students have a strong foundation in science,technology, engineering and math,” said Jerry Fountain, Verizon Wirelesspresident for the Carolinas/Tennessee region. “Educators across thestate are usingThinkfinity.org to help our children maximize theireducational experience and become strong academic achievers.”
Grant applicants should be aware of and plan to incorporate the VerizonThinkfinity infrastructure already in place in South Carolina. TheSouth Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) has partnered with theVerizon Foundation to roll out Thinkfinity to provide 21st centurylearning resources for South Carolina educators and students.
Through a grant from the foundation, South Carolina is offering VerizonThinkfinity Professional Development to educators throughout the Statethrough the SCDE Office of eLearning’s Instructional Technology Coachprogram. The South Carolina Department of Education is supporting thedevelopment of Field Trainers. Field Trainers are now available to beused by local districts. The SCDE also offers an online course calledVerizon Thinkfinity for SC Educators four times a year; additionalcourses may be added as necessary depending on grant awarded districtsand schools.
The Thinkfinity web site offers teachers resources across eight academicdisciplines, including science, English and math, to improve studentachievement. Thinkfinity.org is designed to help teachers gain access to lesson plans, interactiveactivities, primary sources, references and other authoritativeresources that can be searched by grade level, keyword, subject orresource type.
Content for Verizon Thinkfinity is provided through a partnershipbetween the Verizon Foundation and 11 of the nation’s leadingorganizations in the fields of education and literacy: the AmericanAssociation for the Advancement of Science, Council for EconomicEducation, International Reading Association, The John F. Kennedy Centerfor the Performing Arts, National Center for Family Literacy, NationalEndowment for the Humanities, National Council of Teachers of English,National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National GeographicSociety, ProLiteracy and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of AmericanHistory.
The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon, uses itstechnology, financial resources and partnerships to address criticalsocial issues, with a focus on education and domestic violenceprevention. In 2010, the foundation awarded nearly $67 million tononprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad. Through Verizon Volunteers,one of the nation’s largest employee volunteer programs, Verizonemployees and retirees have volunteered nearly 6 million hours millionhours of community service since 2000. For more information on thefoundation, visit www.verizonfoundation.org.
Verizon Communications Inc.
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), headquartered in New York,is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless andwireline communications services to mass market, business, governmentand wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America’s mostreliable wireless network, serving more than 91 million customersnationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, informationand entertainment services over America’s most advanced fiber-opticnetwork, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions tocustomers around the world. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverseworkforce of approximately 222,900 and last year generated consolidatedrevenues of more than $107 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.
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