Press
Southeastern Federal Credit Union awards $1,000 grant to Pine Grove Middle STEM Project
VALDOSTA, GA (January 14, 2015) — Southeastern Federal Credit Union has awarded Pine Grove Middle School’s Programming and Apps class a $1,000 grant to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education. This is the first of five $1,000 grants awarded to Southeastern’s Community Partners in Education schools. The funds will help purchase additional tablet computers for PGM’s sixth grade STEM classroom. The tablets are used to reinforce learning concepts in computer coding, mobile application creation, and website creation.
“I am so excited to have been awarded the Southeastern Federal Credit Union CPIE Grant for Pine Grove Middle School,” says Gina Tindall, Computer Programming instructor. “The grant will be used to purchase additional Nexus Tablets for my sixth grade Programming and Apps class. This class is a brand new course that we have started at Pine Grove Middle this year. The students are learning basic programming skills as well as beginner app building. The tablets help the students emulate what they create on the computer and transfer it into mobile use. This class helps enhance STEM at our school by providing the students with hands-on capabilities to improve tomorrow’s technology.”
Interim Principal, Ivy Smith, commented that “As Pine Grove Middle continues to move forward with our STEM program certification, we were delighted to learn that Ms. Tindall was selected as a Southeastern Federal Credit Union grant winner. The tablets purchased with this grant money will allow PGM students to learn innovative, technology-based applications. We are grateful for our partners in education as SFCU plays an active role in supporting the Lowndes County School System. ”
The Programming and Apps class has already proven to be a great success at Pine Grove Middle. Four sixth grade students from Ms. Tindall’s class took home first place in a statewide website competition in November.
Local businesses that are interested in getting involved with the Community Partners in Education program may contact Lowndes County Coordinator Lynne Wilson at lynnewilson@lowndes.k12.ga.us.
Southeastern Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial institution serving South Georgia since 1953. The Credit Union is owned by its 26,000+ members and governed by a member-elected board of directors. Southeastern has branch offices located in Valdosta, Tifton and Moody AFB.