RCS Awarded Nissan Neighbors Grant $25,000 Grant to Fund STEM Programs

Rutherford County students will have access to more STEM programs thanks to a $25,000 contribution from Nissan’s Neighbor Grant program.

The donation will be used to purchase resources for schools immersed in the STEM School Designation Process to become STEM-school accredited. Students within these schools will be directly impacted by the donation as resources are purchased, which help them complete Project/Problem Based Learning (PBL’s) and STEM challenges.

There are currently four schools working on their STEM accreditation, with one school having recently achieved the STEM-school designation. These schools will evenly split the grant money:

• Smyrna Elementary (achieved in May)
• Stewarts Creek Middle
• Christiana Middle
• Thurman Francis Arts Academy

“At Nissan, we are pleased to support STEM programs in Rutherford County and believe that this investment in our youth is an investment in our state’s future,” said Parul Bajaj, senior manager of philanthropy at Nissan. “A solid STEM education develops versatile skills that are in high demand in the ever-evolving, increasingly global workplace.”

As students complete the PBL’s and STEM challenges, their schools progress further to becoming STEM-school accredited. The ability to purchase more materials lets students go beyond the theoretical into building prototypes of their designs.

“The support of local industry partners is critical because it helps students who would not otherwise be able to participate,” said Stephanie Finley, RCS Science & STEM Specialist for grades 6-8. “The funding allows hands-on and project-based opportunities for students to be exposed to various careers through an immersive experience. We greatly appreciate Nissan’s support of our STEM-designated schools.”

You can learn more about Nissan’s Neighbors Grant program on its website.