Stith has a grant habit

Newcastle High School science instructor Jim Stith has again received a grant to turn creative teaching ideas into reality as part of the Voya Financial Inc.’s Unsung Heroes award. Stith is the only winner in the state and one of 50 winners in the nation to receive the award, according to a press release. 
With a history of bringing outside monies into the school, Stith’s newest idea will bring an “outdoor learning space” to the high school. This grant totals $2,000 and will help move this project forward. 
Since 2018, Stith, and the other science instructors Zach Beam and Doug Scribner, have brought in more than $80,000 in grant monies from various grants and awards. Two of the most notable are $50,000 for the Wyoming Innovative Teaching Grant in 2021 and a 2018 Samsung Solve For Tomorrow contest award that brought $25,000 in Samsung technology to the school. 
According to Stith, the space will be available for use by any teacher and will be scalable to not only provide an outdoor learning space for the high school but also for other schools in the district. The grant will be used to support the long-term sustainability of the project. 
“Resources will be allocated for staff members to participate in professional development courses related to place-based learning,” the release says. “This will give staff the know-how to leverage the outdoor learning spaces beyond simply moving their classroom outside and help them engage the students with their curriculum in these novel spaces.” 
Angela Harrell, Voya’s chief diversity and corporate responsibility officer and president, said that teachers like Stith greatly influence and shape the community’s future leaders. 
“Their creative teaching methods and innovative thinking inspire and motivate students to reach new heights. For 26 years, through Voya Unsung Heroes and other education-oriented programs,  we have supported educators who go above and beyond to enrich the lives of their students,” she said in the press release. 
Stith will now compete with the other 49 finalists for one of three top prizes — an additional $5,000, $10,000 or $25,000.