Sarah Gauvin, a special education teacher at North Fayette Elementary, is now able to provide her students with hands-on learning outside of the traditional classroom after being awarded a $250 grant from the F.I.R.S.T (Fayette Innovation and Research in Science and Technology) program.
 
F.I.R.S.T is an organization that encourages students to go into the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields, believing that all students should have access to science and technology education.
 
With the grant money, Gauvin will create an interactive garden for her students, “I believe a garden will engage my students in a way that no other project or activity can. They’ll be able to explore, inquire, experiment, and learn across all academic areas while developing and applying crucial life skills such as teamwork, communication, responsibility, ownership, cause and effect, and much more.”
 
From setting up garden beds to harvesting vegetables, Gauvin is excited to watch her students be a part of every step in the garden process.
 
The F.I.R.S.T grant program awards $250 to a special education teacher of a self-contained classroom in Fayette County to enable the teacher to purchase science related materials specific for special education students. Through this grant, the organization hopes to increase the number of students who will have access to the opportunities provided by science and technology education.