J-E-T MIDDLE TEACHER RECEIVES SRNL GRANT

Science teacher April Tomkinson is always looking for new opportunities both to enhance her teaching and elevate student learning, engagement, and excitement at Johnston-Edgefield-Trenton (J-E-T) Middle School. Her latest grant project reaches back to the prehistoric days of the dinosaurs for inspiration.

A new $5,000 grant award through a 2025 K-12 Catalyst Grant for STEM Education from Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) will purchase materials her students will use to create “fossil” models made of salt dough. The grant (entitled “Pieces of the Past”) allows students, working in tandem, to paint the fossil models, construct posters of the fossil record used and developed in the classroom, and analyze the posters for possible gaps of information as well as any noticeable patterns.

“Receiving this grant is super exciting because it allows students to use real-world math skills to measure and mix all the ingredients used to make the salt dough,” stated Ms. Tomkinson. “It also supports many aspects of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate such as interpersonal skills, collaboration and teamwork, and using technology and media.”

According to SRNL, the K-12 Catalyst Grants were created by a former teacher who believes education changes lives, are designed to spark creativity and hands-on problem-solving in Central Savannah River Area classrooms. Projects ranged from robotics and coding initiatives to environmental science explorations and creative technology integrations.

“At SRNL, we know that every scientist, engineer, and innovator can point to a teacher who first lit that spark of curiosity,” stated SRNL Director Dr. Johney Green. “These educators are the foundation of our STEM pipeline, and these grants are our way of saying: we see you; we value you and we believe in the impact you have. When we invest in teachers, we invest in our community’s future and the discoveries that will keep our nation strong.”

SRNL has awarded $375,000 in STEM education grants since 2022. The K-12 Catalyst Grants for STEM Education will open for applications again in February 2026.

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