CF mini-grants to fund four projects

Dennis Schilling of CF Industries, Inc. awarded five teachers with mini-grants on Jan. 6, to help fund agricultural and environmental projects for the Ritzville school district.

The teachers applied for the mini-grants through CF Industries, Inc. where the requests are reviewed and approved.

The applications include statistics about how many students will be participating and the expected cost of the projects.

This year, Susan Schafer, who teaches preschool and kindergarten, applied for a $400 mini-grant for a pumpkin patch visit at Country Mercantile for both of the classes. This will help 40 students engage in hands-on learning about agriculture during the Country Mercantile’s Harvest Festival.

For just the kindergarten class, Diane Leffel applied for a $669 mini-grant to help fund a trip for the 29 students to go to Walter’s Fruit Ranch. This project will help students will learn about apples, the growth cycle and the seasons.

Nicholas Weishaar and Cindy Edgren, who both teach the sixth through eighth grades, applied for a $356 mini-grant to fund a “beautification” of the school. The project will help 78 students have the opportunity to examine horticulture and choose what they believe will be the most successful plants to have surrounding the school.

Donna Koch, the nine-12 grade teacher, applied for a $300 mini-grant for a project titled “Beef- It’s what’s for dinner.” This project will be for 30 students who will learn about the nutritional benefits of beef, how to shop for it and properly prepare it.

The mini-grants will assist 177 students have hands-on experience with agricultural and environmental projects throughout the course of the school year. The recommendations to fulfill the mini-grant requests were approved by Tom Mollet, Tim DeWitte, Amy Groh and Schilling.

CF Industries, Inc. has been providing the Ritzville school district with mini-grants for about ten years, typically awarding around $2,500 a year. This year, the dollar amount budgeted is $3,000 but only $1,725 were requested by the teachers.