Franklin Regional teachers were awarded $8,500 in grants from the FR Panther Foundation that will fund a video project and a science lab, as well as a creative space in the middle-school library.

“We’re taking a look at part of the library and designating an area as a ‘maker space,’” said middle school librarian Christy Belgiovane. “Within that space, there will be 3D printing and different (science-technology-engineering-and-math)-type activities.”

Belgiovane said the goal of the $5,000 grant is to provide students with a designated area where, if they have a creative idea to supplement a project, they can explore it.

“The kids will really drive it,” she said. “We collaborate with teachers a lot. A teacher might be doing a project in their classroom, and a student may want to come to the maker space to work on it.”

The maker space ties into the district’s goal of promoting 21st-century skills among students.

“We want kids to have an outlet to create and present things,” Belgiovane said. “They can do different digital projects as well, because we have a little mini Mac lab in the library.”

Belgiovane said she plans to start a “Maker Monday” program, where students can sign up to work in the maker space during the final period of the school day.

“It’s exciting for our kids to have this opportunity, and to have some different ways to express themselves,” she said.

Other FR Panther Foundation grants include:

• $1,599 for a project that will allow fifth graders and the “Sloan Kid Kouncil” members at Sloan Elementary to plan, develop, write, edit and film the morning announcements.

Teachers will show students how to work with green-screen technology and how to produce video content.

• $1,835 for the creation of a lab in which students will study and work with gene variants, DNA sequencing and other biotechnology concepts.

Since its inception, the foundation has awarded five rounds of grants totaling more than $132,000.

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