St. Charles Resident Receives $700 Grant for Her Classroom

Cathy Holway, a resident of St. Charles and a fourth-grade teacher at Combs Elementary School in the Ferguson-Florissant School District, has received a $700 grant through WGU Missouri’s “Fund My Classroom” initiative. The funds will be used by Holway to integrate STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning in her classroom.

Holway believes offering more STEM opportunities in the classroom will not only engage students but will also enhance their learning and provide them with the skills they need to apply themselves in future learning opportunities for years to come. Holway currently gets very little funding to deepen her students’ experience with STEM, so she will use the grant funds to implement a variety of projects in her classroom. This includes a STEM field trip to Great Skate Roller Rink, where students will learn how sound waves work and how they travel through mediums, as well as how sound relates to the rink, including differentiation of pitch and tone. She will also be able to teach students how to create stop motion animation through a technology app called Stop Motion Animator, which Holway will purchase. Students will be able to practice animating concepts with the app and telling stories, which will allow them to build confidence in their communication skills. Holway plans to purchase Lego Brick kits to help her students gain a better understanding of fractions during math instructions and will also use the funds to purchase Squishy Circuits, a kit that includes various elements needed to produce a circuit and conductive and insulating play dough to teach the basics of electrical circuits.

The innovative classroom project is one of 29 across Missouri chosen by WGU Missouri to receive funding. The nonprofit university issued a call in March for K-12 teachers across the state to nominate proposed classroom projects for the opportunity to receive full or partial funding through its “Fund My Classroom” initiative. Holway’s proposal was one of more than 100 nominations received statewide. All grants were awarded during Teacher Appreciation Week in May.

“We are happy we can bring so many of these innovative projects to life through our ‘Fund My Classroom’ initiative and give the impacted teachers something to look forward to in the midst of all the uncertainty COVID-19 is causing for schools across the region,” said Dr. Angie Besendorfer, Chancellor of WGU Missouri. “This initiative is an opportunity for WGU Missouri to celebrate teachers and is a great way to thank them for the lasting, positive impact they have on their students. We were excited to hear from so many great teachers with excellent ideas that will enhance learning both in and out of the classroom.”

To learn more about the “Fund My Classroom” initiative and the work WGU Missouri is doing to help teachers advance their careers, visit missouri.wgu.edu.