Roy Collins, band director at Tyner Academy, accepts the $5,000 check for band instruments for his program from Paul Macaluso, Krystal CEO and president of The Krystal Foundation, and Lyticha Jennings, district manager for Krystal
Paul Macaluso, Krystal CEO and president of The Krystal Foundation, presented seven schools in Hamilton County with checks totaling over $20,000 on Thursday, Dec. 13, at the newly redesigned and soon-to-reopen prototype Krystal restaurant on Shallowford Road.
The schools awarded the grants are Alpine Crest Elementary, Barger Academy of Fine Arts, Calvin Donaldson Environmental Science Academy, Hixson Elementary, Nolan Elementary, Tyner Academy and Woodmore Elementary. The schools will use these funds to support initiatives in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM), as well as music, sports and culinary arts.
Plans for the grants funding at each school include:
• Alpine Crest Elementary ($455) will use its funds to support a two-part Discovery Museum lesson plan that serves as an introduction to STEM.
Working in pairs, students will explore coding, building, magnets, rock formations, microscopes and more.
• Barger Academy of Fine Arts ($3,000) plans to bring back its after-school strings program. Students will learn to play violins, violas and cellos that were tuned and repaired by the Chattanooga Symphony.
• Calvin Donaldson Environmental Science Academy ($2,760) will fund a car kit to participate in a local student-built electric car competition. Working as a team, students will develop engineering, technology, leadership and science skills.
• Hixson Elementary ($2,299) will purchase 64 pedometers that can track student activity and transfer each student’s data to a computer database. With this data, students can learn about leading a healthy lifestyle and how to stay active.
• Nolan Elementary ($850) will use the grant for six kindergarten classes to have access to two discovery wagons for outdoor learning. Students will collect bugs and plant life and graph weather to gather data and learn about habitats.
• Tyner Academy ($5,000) will buy instruments so that all students can be a part of the school band, regardless of financial status. The school will be able to provide instruments for all students and involve them in the band.
• Woodmore Elementary ($2,800) will use the money to support a community counselor who has implemented play therapy. The school will also purchase a portable stage, allowing students a chance to use puppets for classroom performances.