Jason Hunning, a teacher at Athens Drive High School has been selected by NC Beautiful to receive an environmental education grant of $1,000. The award is part of the NC Beautiful’s Windows of Opportunity Grant Program, which rewards North Carolina teachers for their creativity and their dedication to perpetuating the natural beauty of the state through creative education projects. Mr. Jason Hunning stated “We are honored to receive this generous grant from NC Beautiful! We are so excited for the opportunity to create our North Carolina Native Plant Garden to add ot our Science curriculum here at Athens Drive High School! Thank you to NC Beautiful for helping to spark an interest and motivate our students to be good stewards of what we have been given.”
Mr. Hunning will use the award to create a NC Native Plant Garden for Athens Drive High School for all grades that includes utilizing North Carolina Native Plants and materials for the garden. Educational markers will be established to illustrate each native plant in the garden.
The annual Windows of Opportunity Program, developed and administered by NC Beautiful has awarded tens of thousands of dollars to schools all across North Carolina, from the mountains to the coast. “By rewarding these teachers for their innovation and hard work, we can ensure that our children and grandchildren are participating in a project that sparks a lifelong interest in nature” says Steve Vacendak, Executive Director of NC Beautiful. “They will appreciate this beautiful state even more for having had a teacher who went above and beyond to give them a hands-on, real world experience. We are proud to be a small part of that discovery.
For over forty years, NC Beautiful has focused on merit-based programs which provide hands-on experience in preservingNorth Carolina’s natural beauty. We believe that environmental education and community involvement are the keys to addressing North Carolina’s environmental challenges. For more information about programs in which your community, schools, and citizens can participate, contact NC Beautiful at P.O. Box 10155, Raleigh, NC 27605, call 919-828-3190, or visit www.ncbeautiful.org.
Athens Drive High School is located in Raleigh at 1420 Athens Drive. It is a Wake County STEM School. For more information on Athens STEM Academy, please visit https://sites.google.com/site/
John Sykes
ADHS PTSA Grounds Committee Chairperson