2019-2020 Grant Recipients

Blount County

Alcoa High School

The Simply Smart Grant helped Alcoa High School with the Social, Mental & Emotional Health project. The project focused on coping mechanisms and the identification of stress, depression and bullying with first-year high school students. Funds went towards purchasing resources such as curriculum, posters, help books and any additional materials needed for students. The entire freshman class benefited from the project.

Heritage High School

Heritage High School used grant funds to purchase microscopes for Scientific Research Classes. Students can use the microscopes to gain knowledge of the world around them and compare organisms to learn about the variety of life on Earth.

Maryville High School

Maryville High School used grant funds to create a Makerspace area in art classrooms to give students space and materials to make, create and invent new things. The Makerspace includes 3D writing pens, legos, jewelry making, gears and more. 

Samuel Everett School of Innovation 

Samuel Everett School used funds to purchase drinking fountains for students. Additionally, they purchased anti-intruder door stops for all classrooms.

William Blount High School

William Blount High used the Simply Smart Grant to purchase four portable field microscopes, one water quality monitor kit, bacteria tests and waders were purchased to assist students in conducting water quality field studies on chemical and biological organisms. 

Hamblen County

Morristown East High School

Morristown East High School is a one-to-one school for student laptops. With grant funds, they purchased wireless interactive lab equipment like temperature sensors and pressure sensors to allow students to participate in lab experiments.

Morristown West High School

Morristown West purchased ten rechargeable calculators to use in Algebra I and II. With the help of the grant, they have added to the existing collection in hopes every student will have access to one.

Jefferson County

Jefferson County High School

Jefferson County High School used grant funds for the Little Free Library Bench. The project included the purchase of the bench and a school-wide book drive to help fill the bench with reading materials.

Knox County

Austin East Magnet High School

Austin East used grant funds towards the purchase of a new electronic sign. The sign will be used to help communicate announcements and upcoming events to students, staff and the community. 

Bearden High School

Bearden High School used the Simply Smart Grant to purchase laptops and cybersecurity classroom activities for the Cybersecurity Program. 

Career Magnet Academy

Career Magnet Academy used grant funds to start an Art Enrichment Program for students. The program allowed students to meet and engage in a studio style course. Students grew socially, emotionally and academically as they acquired logical and abstract thinking skills through art. 

Carter High School

Through the Simply Smart Grant, Carter High School purchased new smocks and mannequin stands for the Cosmetology Program.

Central High School

Central High School used grant funds to purchase power tools and their corresponding accessories. Through instructor-led demonstrations, students learned proper use of tools and how they can be used for various projects.

Farragut High School

Farragut High School used grant funds to purchase virtual business simulation software for the Business Management Class. The simulation included recruiting, accounting, pricing and sales, operation management, risk management and more.

Fulton High School

Fulton High School purchased supplies such as mannequins, combs, hairbrushes, hair color, relaxer and more for students to use in the Cosmetology Program. 

Gibbs High School

With the help of grant funds, Business Marketing Students at Gibbs High School gained access to online simulations. The simulation covered topics like emergency funds, paying off credit cards, saving for retirement, paying bills on time, protecting credit, paying student loans and more.

Halls High School

Halls High School used grant funds to add additional flexible seating to the Library Media Center. The flexible seating allows students to find quiet places throughout the library to study and read. 

Hardin Valley Academy

Hardin Valley Academy purchased 18 iPads and Apple pencils for the Visual Art Department. Students were exposed to new and innovative technologies in Visual Arts. They learned how to use digital art industry-standard equipment, software and processes using web-based platforms. 

Karns High School

Karns High School used grant funds to purchase supplies for the new Kitchen Chemistry space. Plasticware, LabQuest Probes, household chemicals for experiments and a rolling storage cart were purchased for students to use in Kitchen Chemistry.

L&N STEM Academy

L&N STEM Academy used grant funds to acquire a mobile demonstration cabinet. The mobile demonstration cabinet includes a sink with two gallons of water to use among the science teachers when teaching. Since the cabinet is portable, teachers can travel to different classrooms to demonstrate experiments throughout the semester.

Paul L Kelly Volunteer Academy

Since many of the students at Paul L Kelly are considered non-traditional students, there often can be a waitlist for specific required courses. The Simply Smart Grant allowed Paul L Kelly to expand current opportunities to students in order to meet the required courses to graduate.

Powell High School

Because the Health Science Program is very active, a lot of time is spent rearranging desks for activities throughout the day. With grant funds, Powell High purchased new tables, making it easier to prepare the classroom for activities.

South Doyle High School

The Cherokee Peace Center is a tool used by administrators, teachers, behavior liaisons and is a vital resource for the student body. The Cherokee Peace Center’s Mindfulness Room allows students to “escape” from the various stresses of school, drama of teenage years in general and even home anxieties. Grant funds helped buy resources for this center, such as tablets, diffusers, journals, water, chimes, manipulatives, lights and more.

West High School

West High School used the Simply Smart Grant to purchase interactive materials and board games such as Life, Payday and Money Habitude for the Personal Finance Class. These interactive tools go hand-in-hand with financial concepts learned throughout the course. 

Additionally, the Simply Smart Grant helped implement boomerang-style desk seating in order to create a more collaborative classroom. Students were able to discuss concepts and projects throughout the course together.

Loudon County

Greenback High School

Greenback High School used grant funds for their Art Program titled: "Grow." Items purchased included homemade sketchbooks, tapestry weavings, art inspired by China and Japan, abstract, animal, landscaping paintings and more.   

Greenback also used funds to purchase items for a staff luncheon. Students learned skills like how to create meals on a budget, teamwork and time management. 

Lenoir City High School

Lenoir City High School used grant funds to purchase compasses, protractors, rulers, measuring wheels, SmartPals, dry erase markers and TI-Nspire calculators for the Geometry Program. 

Loudon High School

The Agriculture Program has been focusing on Small Animal Science & Care. Within the program is a new segment with dog grooming. Grant funds went towards the purchase of grooming tables, aprons and other necessary supplies for this program. 

The grant also covered expenses of theatre art production. Students were able to research, select, produce and perform a play for family and friends. The total time to complete the project was around eight weeks. The Simply Smart Grant helped cover royalties, scripts, costumes and props.

Roane County

Harriman High School

Microscopes are essential for learning in Life Science classes. With grant funds, 20 microscopes were purchased for students to use at Harriman High. 

Midway High School

Midway High School used grant funds to expand their garden for the Agriculture/Plant Science Program. They included the CDC class and had students help with the upkeep, harvesting and distribution of vegetables. Students learned how to complete soil tests, amend soil, plant seeds, transplant, manage, budget and more. 

Oliver Springs High School

Oliver Springs High School students assembled a robotic arm with six axes. The main body of the robotic arm was made using the school's 3D printers. The students took the printed parts, different motors, bands, and miscellaneous manufactured parts and assembled the robotic arm following the given open-source instructions. Once the arms were assembled, the students learned how to program the arms to perform specific tasks such as picking up an object and moving it to a new location. Grant funds went towards the purchase of the motors, bearings, belts, rods, miscellaneous screws, nuts, bolts and washers.

Roane County High School

FMJ STEM Camp is a summer camp located at Roane County Park. It occurs in June and is a project-based program designed to teach leadership within the Robotics Program. At the same time, it gives elementary and middle school students from all over the county the opportunity to learn more about STEM. The camp's focus is to provide high school students the opportunity to become a superhero to an elementary or middle school student. With the help of the Simply Smart Grant, Roane County High School can put on this great summer camp.

 

Rockwood High School

Rockwood High School used grant funds to purchase Sphero Robots to explore geometry concepts in the classroom. Students programmed the robot to show understanding of transformation in a coordinate plane. 

Sevier County

Gatlinburg-Pittman High School

Gatlinburg-Pittman High School used the Simply Smart Grant to start an Emergency Medical Services class. Funds helped purchase textbooks and equipment for the Health Science Program. 

Northview Academy

To enhance STEM, Art and Computer Science education, the Northview Academy used grant funds to introduce 3D printers. 

Pigeon Forge High School

Pigeon Forge High School wanted to empower students to speak up and to speak out through the mediums of podcasting, media production and video streaming. With grant funds, Pigeon Forge purchased equipment such as mics, webcams, lighting kits, music software, laptops and more. Students were able to produce and direct podcasts for the school.

Sevier County High School

Students experimented with genetic engineering by transforming bacteria. Grant funds allowed the Biology Department of Sevier County High to purchase transformation biology kits, UV lamps, magnetic stirrer, hot plate and dependence kits. 

Seymour High School

Seymour High School used grant funds to purchase document cameras and calculators. Document cameras provide teachers the opportunity to demonstrate skills and show real-world applications. The calculators help AP Calculus students who might not have access to their own calculators. 

Sullivan County

Dobyns-Bennett High School

The Cyber Tribe Robotics Team is a competitive robotics team that competes year-round. Often, special parts are needed that can't be purchased. With a 3D printer, students can create the necessary parts for robot competitions. Grant funds helped purchase a 3D printer for the Cyber Tribe Team to use at Dobyns-Bennett High. 

Sullivan Central High School

Sullivan Central High School used grant funds to produce the Creative Writing Student Magazine, The Cougar Classis, which is published each semester. Funds helped with print costs and access to poets in the community. Students learned from other successful poets and learned techniques for writing poetry. 

Sullivan East High School

The Special Education classroom’s vision is to provide help for at-risk students to improve reading and math skills as well as job skills for employment. Grant funds were used to purchase reading and math materials such as math kits, literacy kits, math calculators, cash register and shredder. Students at Sullivan East High used these resources in the school store and daily activities.

Sullivan North High School

Sullivan North High School used grant funds to continue the process of transforming the library into a Learning Commons Area. The project involved making the library a more welcoming, modern space to entice students to use it more frequently. 

Sullivan South High School

Sullivan South High School used grant funds to purchase seven functioning stereo microscopes to make dissections more interactive. The entire Science Department has been able to use the stereo microscopes in their classrooms. 

Tennessee High School

Tennessee High School is a one-to-one school, meaning every student has a laptop. Students are expected to complete assignments requiring internet access. Grant funds went towards the purchase of five hot spots through Verizon for students to checkout in order to complete assignments. 

Johnson City

Science Hill High School

Science Hill has decided to offer AP Environmental Science to students. With the help of the Simply Smart Grant, biological lab kits were purchased for students to use and see real-world applications of environmental science.