Clarksville, TN – In partnership with CDE Lightband, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and Bicentennial Volunteers Inc, Kenwood Middle School was awarded $5,000 in STEM grant funds. STEM at its core is a teaching philosophy that blends Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math together which offers students the opportunity to experience real-world applications.
Kenwood Middle School was one of the 197 awardees out of 600 submissions from across TVA’s seven-state territory.
The grant program centers on schools that explore TVA’s primary areas of focus: environment, energy, and economic development. Schools that receive grant funding must receive their power from a TVA distributor. Across the valley, educators submitted projects large and small, to further STEM education initiatives – both in-person and virtual.
“TVA is committed to supporting STEM education to help develop today’s students into tomorrow’s engineers, scientists, and IT professionals,” said Jeannette Mills, TVA executive vice president, and chief external relations officer. “It’s inspiring to be able to contribute to the innovators of the next generation.”
Inside the classroom, Chad Ward, Computer Literacy teacher, is preparing students for hands-on learning as they engage the world of computer coding, drones, and robotics. Students will utilize a drone, yardstick, and their laptops as they map out their drones’ anticipated flight trajectory. It challenges the students as they input the coding into their drone to fly from one square to the next within the classroom.
The key component is teaching the students necessary problem-solving skills if the drone navigates off its path. The grant provides the opportunity to expand the program by offering more opportunities for equipment purchases, replacement parts, additional drones, etc.
“To be able to sustain growth, we need to cultivate our upcoming generations. STEM encourages the curiosity, knowledge, and development of young minds in real-world settings. We are proud to support our schools’ STEM programs for the future of tomorrow,” said Brian Taylor, general manager of CDE Lightband.
Video courteous of Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS).
About CDE Lightband
CDE Lightband is a municipally-owned public power and broadband service provider serving 72,000 electric and 22,000 broadband customers with the city limits of Clarksville, TN.
CDE Lightband provides reliable utilities delivered at the speed of light. Our service area, consisting of 100 square miles within the municipal boundaries, includes 892 miles of power lines and 960 miles of fiber optic cable.
Our world-class Fiber Optic Network keeps electric costs low and allows us to deliver exceptional products and constant innovation. The network provides savings of over $1 million annually in operating costs and provides over $5 million annually in income for electrical grid improvements that result in half as many large-scale power outages compared to peer cities.
Additionally, access to our network increases home values by 3% or an average of over $5,000, according to the Fiber to the Home Council. Based in large part on access to the superior digital products provided by CDE Lightband, Clarksville has been designated a first 50 “Next Century City.”
CDE Lightband offers Electricity, Internet, Digital TV, and Telephone services with blazing fast speed and superior performance … with the additional convenience of 24/7 local support and bundling all your utilities into a single bill.
Our staff includes 200 full-time employees, a management team with over 100 years of combined industry expertise and governance provided by a board of five local business leaders.
For more information, visit their website at www.cdelightband.com
About TVA
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power companies serving nearly 10 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA receives no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity.
In addition to operating and investing its revenues in its electric system, TVA provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.
