The Cory and Kim Schlecht family stands with Monsanto Rep. Mike Schlosser to receive $2,500 award for Kulm Public School. Photo credit Joy Powers
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KPS Principal Amy Johnson stands with a group of math and science teachers, Foundation Director Sarah Gackle, and KPS students to receive the $25,000 grant award from Monsanto Rep. Mike Schlosser. Photo credit Joy Powers
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Monsanto Fund Awards Kulm Public School Two Grants
September 8, 2017
After a strong first-half performance by the E-E-K Thunder football team, the spotlight turned to Kulm during halftime. The school was awarded two gifts from the Monsanto Fund, for a total of $27,500 towards new projects.
The first was a $2,500 donation given by Cory and Kim Schlecht through the America’s Farmers Grow Communities. The Grow Communities grant program, which launched in 2010, gives farmers the chance to win a $2,500 donation for their favorite community nonprofit organization, such as 4-H, FFA, schools, fire departments and other civic groups. One winner is selected in each of 1,331 eligible counties in 41 states.
Kim Schlecht said she has been entering the contest for about four years. When she found out she had won and she and Cory would be able to decide where to direct the money, the Schlechts decided to add to Kulm’s community resources and give towards the school’s outdoor basketball court project. The Grow Communities grant program is open again for 2018 awards, and farmers can enter their name into the contest until November.
The second grant awarded during halftime was a $25,000 grant through America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education. Since 2011, this program has given over nine million dollars to rural school districts, by offering farmers the opportunity to nominate rural public school districts to compete for a merit-based grant of $10,000 and $25,000.
The Rural Education grant process is lengthy. Farmers begin nominating school districts in January each year. The schools can then prepare a grant application, and once all of the school district applications are submitted in April, a panel of math and science teachers from ineligible counties reviews each application and selects finalists. An advisory council composed of farmer-leaders then reviews and selects the winning grant applications from a pool of finalists. In this final round of grant reviews, each application is evaluated not only on its merit, but also by the support of the farm community. Kulm Public School had 23 individual farmer nominations, which is equivalent to almost 17% of the entire student population.
KPS Foundation Director Sarah Gackle was grateful to receive the nomination and be able to begin working on the grant application this spring. “We identified on a worthwhile project and worked hard to create a strong grant application, but the local ag support was essential,” said Gackle. This support included farmers as well as local Monsanto dealer Double AA Seeds, who has promoted these two awards to the Kulm farm community for many years.
Monsanto Representative Mike Schlosser joined some of Kulm’s math and science teachers as well as student competitors from last year’s state Science Olympiad on the field for the presentation. Since 2006, KPS junior high and high school student teams have competed annually in Science Olympiad. Kulm is currently the smallest school in ND’s most competitive region for Science Olympiad. Despite this, our student teams have advanced to the state competition five times in eleven years, and close to 30 students have placed first in the individual events at regional competition. Last year, Chayse Entzi and Emily Kinzler won first in state in the wind energy category of the competition.
Gackle said that the inspiration for the K-12 SmartLab project came from the dedication and achievement of the students and teachers. “This is an area where our students are already demonstrating excellence and our teachers are working hard to help them reach their full potential,” said Gackle, “but we needed more resources and a more comprehensive approach. The SmartLab will fit our needs perfectly.”
Kulm Public School will use the $25,000 grant to build a K-12 SmartLab. The $2,500 award will go towards an outdoor basketball court to serve the school and community. The school hopes to complete fundraising goals and have both projects completed by the end of the 2017-18 school year.
After a strong first-half performance by the E-E-K Thunder football team, the spotlight turned to Kulm during halftime. The school was awarded two gifts from the Monsanto Fund, for a total of $27,500 towards new projects.
The first was a $2,500 donation given by Cory and Kim Schlecht through the America’s Farmers Grow Communities. The Grow Communities grant program, which launched in 2010, gives farmers the chance to win a $2,500 donation for their favorite community nonprofit organization, such as 4-H, FFA, schools, fire departments and other civic groups. One winner is selected in each of 1,331 eligible counties in 41 states.
Kim Schlecht said she has been entering the contest for about four years. When she found out she had won and she and Cory would be able to decide where to direct the money, the Schlechts decided to add to Kulm’s community resources and give towards the school’s outdoor basketball court project. The Grow Communities grant program is open again for 2018 awards, and farmers can enter their name into the contest until November.
The second grant awarded during halftime was a $25,000 grant through America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education. Since 2011, this program has given over nine million dollars to rural school districts, by offering farmers the opportunity to nominate rural public school districts to compete for a merit-based grant of $10,000 and $25,000.
The Rural Education grant process is lengthy. Farmers begin nominating school districts in January each year. The schools can then prepare a grant application, and once all of the school district applications are submitted in April, a panel of math and science teachers from ineligible counties reviews each application and selects finalists. An advisory council composed of farmer-leaders then reviews and selects the winning grant applications from a pool of finalists. In this final round of grant reviews, each application is evaluated not only on its merit, but also by the support of the farm community. Kulm Public School had 23 individual farmer nominations, which is equivalent to almost 17% of the entire student population.
KPS Foundation Director Sarah Gackle was grateful to receive the nomination and be able to begin working on the grant application this spring. “We identified on a worthwhile project and worked hard to create a strong grant application, but the local ag support was essential,” said Gackle. This support included farmers as well as local Monsanto dealer Double AA Seeds, who has promoted these two awards to the Kulm farm community for many years.
Monsanto Representative Mike Schlosser joined some of Kulm’s math and science teachers as well as student competitors from last year’s state Science Olympiad on the field for the presentation. Since 2006, KPS junior high and high school student teams have competed annually in Science Olympiad. Kulm is currently the smallest school in ND’s most competitive region for Science Olympiad. Despite this, our student teams have advanced to the state competition five times in eleven years, and close to 30 students have placed first in the individual events at regional competition. Last year, Chayse Entzi and Emily Kinzler won first in state in the wind energy category of the competition.
Gackle said that the inspiration for the K-12 SmartLab project came from the dedication and achievement of the students and teachers. “This is an area where our students are already demonstrating excellence and our teachers are working hard to help them reach their full potential,” said Gackle, “but we needed more resources and a more comprehensive approach. The SmartLab will fit our needs perfectly.”
Kulm Public School will use the $25,000 grant to build a K-12 SmartLab. The $2,500 award will go towards an outdoor basketball court to serve the school and community. The school hopes to complete fundraising goals and have both projects completed by the end of the 2017-18 school year.