Twenty SkillsUSA schools have been selected by Lowe's Companies to receive the first SkillsUSA Lowe's Education Grants. Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation is awarding education grants of $10,000 each to 20 local SkillsUSA chapters for innovative projects or program enhancements at their schools. Schools receiving the grants, and their projects. Get the list!

 

ARKANSAS

North Little Rock High School West in Little Rock
SkillsUSA membership: 85 students and teachers
Project: SkillsUSA members will lead simple lab projects at Lowe’s stores and at local elementary schools, in order to teach younger students basic sawing, drilling and how to do fun projects, in order to get them interested in working with their hands.

CONNECTICUT

Platt Technical High School in Milford
SkillsUSA membership: 856 students and teachers
Project: rebuild “The Swamp” outdoor learning area/living laboratory. This area of the campus is used by the high school as well as local elementary schools, scouting groups and YMCA to teach environmental science, microbiology and biology in a hands-on setting. The original “Swamp” was destroyed by arson.

DELAWARE

St. Georges Technical High School in Middletown
SkillsUSA membership: 61 students and teachers
Project: Students will design, construct and maintain scale models of stars in a virtual walking path of the solar system. The project is a collaboration between the construction careers cluster and the science department, designed to enhance higher level thinking, team building and skill enhancement.

St. Georges students working on solar system project.

KANSAS

Kansas City Area Technical School in Kansas City
SkillsUSA membership: 190 students and teachers
Project: Build and outfit an enclosed PR/recruitment trailer to use a various events.

MARYLAND

Frederick County Career and Technology Center in Frederick
SkillsUSA membership: 651 students and teachers
Project: recruitment program featuring portable career modules that demonstrate technical training programs and a “life-sized” game board and DVD version of a career pathways game to use for visits to local middle schools.

Frederick CTC held a kick off event for their Recruitment game for middle school students.

MASSACHUSETTS

Upper Cape Regional Technical School in Bourne
SkillsUSA membership: 515 students and teachers
Project: Build 20 fitness stations along a trail at the rear of the school campus.

MICHIGAN

Saginaw Career Complex in Saginaw
SkillsUSA membership: 103 students and teachers
Project: Showcase technical skills and the opportunities at Saginaw CC by holding short, fun parent-child competitions at Lowe’s stores.

Showcasing welding.

MISSOURI

Franklin Technology Center in Joplin
SkillsUSA membership: 445 students and teachers
Project: Build a leadership-training center with a low ropes course and pavilion for instruction to serve all student organizations and community as a whole.

Lowe's representatives with SkillsUSA National Officer, Jack Frederick.

NEBRASKA

Platteview High School in Springfield
SkillsUSA membership: 13 students and teachers
Project: remodel the drafting classroom at a small rural high school of 360 students, in order to provide a better learning workspace, greater collaboration between students, and advanced design work opportunities.

Class remodeled at Platteview High School.

NEW JERSEY

Burlington County Institute of Technology in Westampton
SkillsUSA membership: 177 students and teachers
Project: purchase and training on the design software used by Lowe’s kitchen and bath professionals, plus a local kitchen/bath design contest judged by Lowe’s professionals.

Check presentation to Burlington students.

NEW YORK

Orleans Niagara BOCES in Medina
SkillsUSA membership: 384 students and teachers
Project: build a 1/8 scale model home to demonstrate efficient heating/ventilation.

OHIO

Timken High School in Canton
SkillsUSA membership: 68 students and teachers
Project: update an outdated lab and purchase state of the art equipment for this medical training program at a school where 70 percent of the student population is at the poverty level. The new lab can be used to support the community with blood drives and free health screenings.

OREGON

Glendale High School in Glendale
SkillsUSA membership: 30 students and teachers
Project: update the culinary arts and commercial baking lab with new equipment more similar to what is used in restaurants: microwaves, mixers, convection ovens and a commercial mixer, in order to support more effective student training.

The new baking lab.

PENNSYLVANIA

Forbes Road Career and Technology Center in Monroeville
SkillsUSA membership: 77 students and teachers
Project: Renovate a donated school bus with electronics, air conditioning, sound and graphics to create The Forbes Road Show. This traveling exhibit will get younger students excited about the technical training opportunities at Forbes CTC.

Check presentation from Lowe's.

Warren County Career Center in Warren
SkillsUSA membership: 69 students and teachers
Project: Students will build Project POWER, a traveling demonstration unit that will showcase career and technical education training programs through an interactive mechanical and electrical collage that demonstrates various tasks, properties and effects.

TENNESSEE

Hardin County High School in Savannah
SkillsUSA membership: 20 students and teachers
Project: Build a mobile tool room to use on job sites for their new home building project, the first house built by the school in 18 years. The tool trailer is designed with safety in mind, protecting the tools and efficiency on the job site.

Carpentry Students at Hardin County High School.

Southwest Career and Technology Center in Memphis
SkillsUSA membership: 149 students and teachers
Project: Design and build an outdoor learning facility with desks and ceiling fans.

Students and staff at Southwest Career and Technical Center in Memphis held a kick off for their project to build an outdoor learning facility.

TEXAS

Stony Point High School in Round Rock
SkillsUSA membership: 44 students and teachers 
Project: rebuild a solar car and drive it from Round Rock to New York City in the Dell Winston Solar Car Challenge, July 16 to 24.

In May, Stony Point students constructed the frame of  their solar car, Solaris. It took third place in the Dell Winston Solar Car Challenge in July, racing from Texas to New York City.

VIRGINIA

Chantilly Academy in Fairfax
SkillsUSA membership: 85 students and teachers
Project: Create 50 toolkits that students can sign out at the beginning of the year, use for their training program and return at the end of the year, in order to teach pride of ownership and responsibility. Nearly 40 percent of construction technology students at the school are under-represented minorities, English as a second language or special education students.

On August 27, Chantilly Academy staff teamed up with Fairfax County Public School central office staff and volunteers from Lowe’s to assembly tool boxes for their construction trades students.

Washington County Technical School in Abingdon
SkillsUSA membership: 25 students and teachers
Project: renovate basement of a nursing/cosmetology lab into a SkillsUSA training room/ student center at an older vocational school with no cafeteria and where students have no place to hold meetings.

Ten SkillsUSA schools have been selected by Lowe's Companies to receive the first SkillsUSA Lowe's Community Service Grants. Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation is awarding service grants of $10,000 each to 10 local SkillsUSA chapters for innovative projects or enhancements within their communities. Here are the projects:

GEORGIA

Augusta Technical College in Augusta
SkillsUSA membership: 53 students and teachers
Project: SkillsUSA members will renovate the August Restoration Services building, a local sheltered workshop for individuals with restricted physical or mental capabilities.

Check presentation.

IDAHO

Blackfoot High School in Blackfoot
SkillsUSA membership: 49 students and teachers
Project: Welding students will build 30 new park benches for a new connector park between two local communities.

Screenshot of a news report on Blackfoot High School's project.

NEW YORK

Alfred State College in Wellsville
SkillsUSA membership: 77 students and teachers
Project: Students from various training programs will combine efforts to rebuild the playground at the local Wellsville Elementary School.

Potter Career and Technical Center, working with Harkness CTC and Kenton CTC
SkillsUSA membership: 64 students and teachers at Potter; 95 at Harkness CTC and 71 at Kenton CTC
Project: Students from three New York technical schools will team up to restore restrooms on main concourse of the historic Buffalo Central Train Terminal, create a terminal museum and paint murals on specified walls.

OHIO

Millstream Career and Technology Center in Findlay
SkillsUSA membership: 250 students and teachers
Project: Students will work with community leaders to design and build an urban park, in order to create a gathering place in the heart of the city of Findlay, Ohio.


Students working at park.

RHODE ISLAND

Warwick Area Career and Technical Center in Warwick
SkillsUSA membership: 413 students and teachers
Project: Students will design, build and transport four playhouses, two for local elementary schools and two for The Impossible Dream, a nonprofit center for special needs students.

Check presentation.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Beaufort-Jasper Academy for Career Excellence in Ridgeland
SkillsUSA membership: 81 students and teachers
Project: The SkillsUSA members will build a nature trail/fitness trail with exercise stations. They will include signs about plant life, bird watching stations to enhance the learning experience. This outdoor facility will serve the whole community and help combat youth obesity.

Beaufort Jasper staff and students held a formal kick off with local Lowe’s representatives.

TEXAS

A&M Consolidated High School in College Station
SkillsUSA membership: 50 students and teachers
Project: Students will launch Computers for the Community, a program to recycle donated computers and repair them, in order to donate them to low-income families living within the town.

VIRGINIA

Edison Academy in Alexandria
SkillsUSA membership: 617 students and teachers
Project: Students will launch a carbon monoxide awareness program, and hold educational workshops at Lowe's in order to educate the public and distribute carbon monoxide detectors.

Students from Edison Academy conducted Carbon Monoxide awareness activities at the Virginia State Fair.

Virginia Beach Technical Center in Virginia Beach
SkillsUSA membership: 352 students and teachers
Project: Students will build a utility structure/work garage for the Hope Haven Children's and Retirement Home, which serves the needs of at-risk youth and low-income elderly people.

Groundbreaking at Hope Haven.

Lowe's 2007 CareerSafe Grant Schools

ALABAMA

Randolph Roanoke Career Technology Center in Wedowee
2 Vouchers

Etowah County Career Technology Center in Atalla
10 Vouchers

ALASKA

Unalaska City Schools in Unalaska
9 Vouchers

ARIZONA

Cactus High School in Glendale
13 Vouchers

ARKANSAS

National Park Technology Center in Hot Springs
12 Vouchers

FLORIDA

Suwannee- Hamilton Technical Center in Live Oak
25 Vouchers

Tavares High School in Tavares
9 Vouchers

GEORGIA

Central Education Center in Newnan
52 Vouchers

Cairo High School in Cairo
38 Vouchers

Lee County High School in Leesburg
15 Vouchers

IOWA

Herbert Hoover High School in Toledo
20 Vouchers

KENTUCKY

Russell Area Technology Center in Russell
18 Vouchers

LOUISIANA

Louisiana Technical College- Lafayette Campus in Lafayette
12 Vouchers

MASSACHUSETTS

Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School in Fall River
400 Vouchers

Lynn Vocational Technical Institute in Lynn
27 Vouchers

MARYLAND

Frederick County Career and Technology Center in Frederick
105 Vouchers

MAINE

Caribou Regional Technology Center in Caribou
32 Vouchers

MICHIGAN

Lenawee Vocational Technical Center in Adrian
134 Vouchers

MISSISSIPPI

Biloxi High School in Gulfport
39 Vouchers

Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale
50 Vouchers

Pearl River Community College in Poplaville
5 Vouchers

MISSOURI

Carthage Technical Center in Carthage
94 Vouchers

Herndon Career Center in Raytown
40 Vouchers

NEBRASKA

Wayne State College in Wayne
15 Vouchers

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Mount Washington Valley Career and Technical Center in Conway
20 Vouchers

NEVADA

Elko High School in Elko
50 Vouchers

OHIO

Fairfield Career Center in Carroll
100 Vouchers

Cuyahoga Valley Career Center in Brecksville
30 Vouchers

Auburn Career Center in Concord Twp.
88 Vouchers

PENNYSLVANIA

Bethlehem Area Vocational Technical School in Bethlehem
200 Vouchers

Parkway West Career and Technology Center in Oakdale
8 Vouchers

Connellsville Area Career and Technical Center in Connellsville
15 Vouchers

SOUTH CAROLINA

Garrett Academy of Technology in North Charleston
18 Vouchers

Hannah- Pamplico High School in Pamplico
15 Vouchers

TENNESSEE

Fayette Ware in Somerville
75 Vouchers

Page High School in Franklin
5 Vouchers

TEXAS

La Joya Senior High School in La Joya
7 Vouchers

South San Antonio Career Education Center in San Antonio
26 Vouchers

Magnolia High School in Magnolia
7 Vouchers

Kingwood High School in Kingwood
20 Vouchers

Edinburg Career Center in Edinburg
50 Vouchers

Waco High School in Waco
28 Vouchers

Jefferson High School in El Paso
2 Vouchers

Pearland High School in Pearland
21 Vouchers

Como/Pickton CISD in Como
11 Vouchers

Bastrop High School in Bastrop
38 Vouchers

North Garland High School in Garland
5 Vouchers

Decatur High School in Decatur
35 Vouchers

Milby High School in Houston
23 Vouchers

Career Development School in Victoria
35 Vouchers

Palacios High School in Palacios
17 Vouchers

UTAH

Copper Hills High School in West Jordan
10 Vouchers

VIRGINIA

Massanutten Technical Center in Harrisonburg
90 Vouchers

Rowanty Technical Center in Carson
16 Vouchers

Rockbridge County High School in Lexington
10 Vouchers

Arnold R. Burton Technology Center in Salem
120 Vouchers

WISCONSIN

Fond du Lac High School in Fond du Lac
15 Vouchers

WEST VIRGINIA

James Rumsey Technical Institute in Martinsburg
100 Vouchers