Local teachers who were awarded Dow grants totaling up to $18,000 included : Seated (l-r): Stephanie Chapman (R. K. Smith), Kristen Weber (Lakewood), Mary Guarisco (Lakewood), Rachel Allemand (Central Office); Standing (l-r): Matthew Spitz (R. K. Smith), Marsha Walters (Lakewood), Jessie Zink (Lakewood), Craig Howat (Luling), Nancy Curole (J. B. Martin), Martha Daigle (Allemands), Erin Raiford (J. B. Martin), Roseann Jarrell (Allemands), Jennifer Rueb (Destrehan), Nicole Duhe (St. Charles Borromeo), Curtis Montet (Destrehan), Donalyn Hassenboehler (St. Charles Borromeo).

"This program enables Dow to provide funding for education projects that promote academic excellence in the areas of science and mathematics," said Stanley Dufrene, St. Charles Operations Community Relations Manager. "The projects chosen are innovative and outstanding. We are proud to be able to support these educators as they work to build student interest in science and math."

The grants that totaled up to $2,000 each are awarded on a competitive basis, and were evaluated by a Grants Review Panel, which consists of individuals representing the educational system, the community and Dow. The proposals were graded in four areas, and those receiving the highest scores were funded.

Dr. Rodney Lafon, Superintendent of St. Charles Parish Schools, stated, "Dow has once again demonstrated its commitment to public education in St. Charles Parish by providing these educational enhancement grants. Dow is a great partner in assisting St. Charles Parish Public Schools in achieving our core business of teaching and learning, our focus of continuous improvement, and commitment to learning for life."

The St. Charles Parish teachers and schools receiving Dow Grants for math and science related projects include:

Allemands Elementary - Roseann Jarrell
"Nature's Little Helpers". Students will maintain plants, study plant structures and their requirements.

R.J. Vial Elementary - Virginia Morgan
"Housing a Greener Future". We will install a greenhouse on school property. The students will plant and take care of all plants. The plants will then be sold to replenish the funds needed to maintain the greenhouse.

New Sarpy Elementary - Arledge Smith and Joan Logan
"Growing Up Green in the Classroom". The students will study the life cycles of a variety of plants and insects. They will compare plants grown from bulbs and seeds and record their growth.

Luling Elememtary - Craig Howat
"Outdoor Classroom Project". The schoolyard habitat phase of the Outdoor Classroom Project will allow students to design and construct natural habitats on the school campus. The students will use various math and science concepts as they complete this project. The completed project will be utilized by all classes as an "outdoor classroom" for teachers to conduct lessons in a peaceful, relaxing environment. The students will also use their knowledge to design and construct a habitat for a local nursing home.

Ethel Schoeffner Elementary - Lisa Coats
"Earthkeepers". Earthkeepers is a life-long Earth educational program which focuses on the ecological concepts of energy flow, cycles, and interrelationships and change. Through exploration, students will become more aware of the natural world and delicate balances of the environment.

Harry Hurst Middle School - Barry Guillot
"LaBranche Wetland Watchers". The LaBranche Wetland Watchers is a school-based service-learning project primarily sponsored by the Louisiana Lieutenant Governor's Office. Each year, over 1000 fifth, sixth, and seventh grade students attend service trips to adopted a site in the Bonnet Carre Spillway. Through education, service, and awareness, students lead a community effort for wetland conservation.

EJ Landry Middle School - Stephanie Chapman & Matthew Spitz
"Gravity Powered Cars/Geometrical Communities". Students will design and create cars that will be powered by the force of gravity. Students will roll their cars down the ramp three times and measure the distance traveled in inches and then convert those measurement to feet. Using geometrical and measurement concepts, students would then create communities that are to be benefical to these gravity powered cars. This proposal is the needed to purchase the materials needed to build the cars and create the communities.

Destrehan High School - Curtis Montet & Jennifer Rueb
"CAN"T MIS: Multi-Sensory Interactive Science". "CAN"T MIS" is an interactive remote response system. Students will interact with a multi-sensory remote response system for the purposes of pre/post assessment and review.

Hahnville High School - Ken Oertling
"Aquatic Life Learners of Louisiana". A.L.L.O.L will promote the scientific study of Louisiana's unique aquatic life, while directly impacting all students on campus in a student-centered, technology-enhanced aquatic research center managed by students of Hahnville High School. They will develop and implement research on raised species of aquatic, life native to Louisiana and its habitat, for an entire year in their own aquarium. The research is real life and will include lessons on water systems analysis, nitrogen, cycle acids, genetics, photosynthesis, ecosystems, bacteria, algae, graphing, data analysis, and research-based writing. Students will have an opportunity to showcase their research in the community and teach neighboring elementary schools about Louisiana aquatic life. This project will serve as a continuing education platform in developing and maintaining a large scale crab shedding system in the school years to come.

Dow is a leader in science and technology, providing innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets. With annual sales of $40 billion, Dow serves customers in 175 countries and a wide range of markets that are vital to human progress: food, transportation, health and medicine, personal and home care, and building and construction, among others. Committed to the principles of sustainable development, Dow and its 43,000 employees seek to balance economic, environmental and social responsibilities. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted.

St. Charles Operations is owned by Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. "Dow", as used throughout this web site, often refers generically to The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries.