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Grants Help Science Teachers Provide Hands-on Instruction
Students in Amy Eversole’s 7th grade science classroom at Holt Middle School recently had the opportunity to explore frogs and rats in a fun, hands-on way using dissection materials received through Arkansas Community Foundation’s annual Science Initiative for Middle Schools (SIMS) program.
Twenty-eight 5th-8th grade Fayetteville Public School teachers were selected to receive the grants totaling more than $15,000 through the program, which encourages hands-on science instruction by making grants for the purchase of materials for science experiments.
Applications were submitted by teachers in counties served by one of Arkansas Community Foundation’s 27 local offices, including the Fayetteville Area Community Foundation. In total, this year’s grants will fund 285 projects throughout the state, enabling approximately 35,000 children to participate in hands-on science activities.
Locally, a committee from the Fayetteville Area Community Foundation reviewed proposals from teachers in Washington County and chose to fund 46 projects that will impact over 4,000 students. 
“Because of the support of the Arkansas Community Foundation, students will have increased opportunities to experience science in ways that are engaging, authentic, and hands-on,” said Fayetteville’s Director of K-12 Science and Instructional Technology, Jenny Gammill. “We have a strong commitment to making science come to life for students in our schools and this organization is helping to make this possible.”
Projects funded in Fayetteville’s schools include organisms and tools for dissections, marine science backpacks to measure and record long term water quality data in Northwest Arkansas, forensics kits to set up and explore simulated crime scenes, microscopes, and hands-on resources to teach force and motion concepts.