PRIDE awards $38,750 for education in Whitley County

This year, 4,365 students in Whitley County will enjoy hands-on lessons in good stewardship, thanks to PRIDE Environmental Education Grants. Eastern Kentucky PRIDE announced today that 10 grant applicants from Whitley County were awarded a total of $38,750.

Boston Elementary School received a $3,750 grant to buy equipment and supplies for its greenhouse and outdoor classroom, as well as Earth Day materials. The school estimated that the grant will impact 250 students during the current school year.

Pleasant View Elementary School will use its $3,000 grant to buy recycling bins. The grant will benefit 350 students this year. 

Whitley County Middle School was awarded $4,000 to enhance its outdoor classroom. 700 students are expected to use the space this year.

Whitley North Elementary School will buy a recycling trailer and Earth Day materials with its $4,000 grant. The grant will benefit 410 students this year. 

Corbin Elementary School received a $4,000 grant to buy equipment and supplies for its greenhouse and outdoor classroom. The school expects 450 students to benefit from the grant this year. 

Corbin Primary School will enhance its outdoor classroom and buy binoculars with its $4,000 grant. The grant will serve 650 students this year.

Corbin Intermediate School was awarded $4,000 to build two wetlands and a rain garden, which will be used by 400 students this year. 

Corbin Middle School will use its $4,000 grant to buy native trees and the SEPUP (Science Education for Public Understanding Program) curriculum. 400 students will benefit from the grant this year.

Corbin High School will buy recycling containers and enhance its outdoor classroom with its $4,000 grant. The school said that the grant will impact 710 students this year. 

The Whitley County Cooperative Extension Service was awarded $4,000 to create and expand community gardens. 45 students will be involved in the project.

Each grant includes $500 to operate a service-oriented PRIDE Club. 

“I thank you for taking the initiative to get students excited about the spectacular natural resources that surround them,” said Karen Engle, who heads PRIDE, to the grant recipients. “Our region’s scenic beauty is precious. If our children learn to nurture this valuable asset now, then they can enjoy it with their children and even generate jobs through tourism. These grants are a wise investment in the future.”

The PRIDE Environmental Education Grant Program is available to schools, nonprofit organizations and other education providers in 38 counties of southern and eastern Kentucky. The one-year grants support hands-on activities that show students how and why to take personal responsibility for their environment. The maximum grant value was $4,000 this year. Grant recipients must make monetary or in-kind contributions worth 10 percent of their grant amount, and community involvement is encouraged.

This year, PRIDE awarded 94 Environmental Education Grants across the region for a total of $355,087. Since 1998, a total of 577,963 students have taken part in projects funded through 1,001 grants. Grant-funded projects in the region since 1998 include building 374 outdoor classrooms, 155 greenhouses and 63 nature trails.

Eastern Kentucky PRIDE, a nonprofit organization, promotes “Personal Responsibility In a Desirable Environment” in southern and eastern Kentucky. PRIDE was founded in 1997 by Congressman Hal Rogers and Kentucky Environmental Secretary James Bickford, and it is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

For more information, please call the PRIDE office, toll free, at 888-577-4339 or visit www.kypride.org.