Colts get $10,000 grant

Creston School recipient of America’s Farmers funding

Andrew Heiserman
Posted 10/4/19

Creston School officials held a ceremony in their gymnasium Friday morning to celebrate a $10,000 grant the district received from the America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education Program, sponsored by the Bayer Fund.

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Colts get $10,000 grant

Creston School recipient of America’s Farmers funding

Posted

CRESTON –Creston School officials held a ceremony in their gymnasium Friday morning to celebrate a $10,000 grant the district received from the America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education Program, sponsored by the Bayer Fund.
In order to receive the grant, local farmers must nominate the school district they would like to see receive the funds. The district then fills out an application for the grant and turns it into Bayer. The program then decides which school districts will receive funds and how much.
Creston School leaders have applied for this grant multiple times in the past, but never received more than a few hundred dollars.

“We have filled this out for a number of years and have received a few dollars here and a few dollars there. This year we got an email saying that we received $10,000, and we thought we didn’t read that right, so we read it over a couple of times,” joked Curt Rheingans, superintendent of the district.
Rheingans said the school district is planning on using the funds to expand its STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program. Some of the items they plan to use the funds on are purchasing new equipment that is grade level specific, such as programmable mice that students enter the distance and direction they travel though a track they created.
Creston School District had been nominated by two local families. This grant helps give the school the means to expand their quality education program titled “Tinkering and Thinking Mobile Stem Parts.”
“This means that we are able to enhance and get more hands-on activities, so we can continue to provide our students with great education,” explained Rheingans. “I just think it is great and thank the Bayer Foundation, I don’t think they know how much it is going to impact our kids, the teachers, the students, the farmers who nominated us. Just a big thank you to everyone who was involved.”