Teacher: Cyndi Martinez

School: Cheraw High School

District: Cheraw District 31

Website: www.cheraw.k12.co.us

Address: 110 Lakeview Ave. Cheraw, CO 81030

Grade Level: 8th-12th grades Sciences

Region: Southeast

Project Title: Enjoy Life's Little Things

Category: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)

Funding Amount Requested: $1600

Project Description:
Cheraw is a small town in southeastern Colorado, surrounded by agricultural land, where farming and ranching are central to the local economy. The town has a population of fewer than 300 people, making it a close-knit and supportive community. As a Cheraw alumnus teaching high school science, my goal is to inspire a passion for biology in my students. However, we currently lack the equipment necessary to fully engage their curiosity. I am requesting $1350 to purchase 8 new microscopes and slides to enhance our science classes and foster a deeper interest in biology and related fields.

Photos:
Photo 1
Photo 2

Impact:
Returning to Cheraw this school year to teach high school science, I found that we are missing essential tools to encourage curiosity. When discussing the characteristics of life, a student asked if we could examine pumpkin seeds under a microscope to see cells. Unfortunately, our outdated microscopes didn't allow for proper examination, but the genuine curiosity in the student's eyes was clear. With new microscopes, we can ignite this curiosity, inspiring students to love science and potentially pursue further education in scientific fields. The ability to view life at the cellular level would be transformative for these rural students, many of whom come from farming backgrounds. Wouldn't it benefit society to have more farmers with science degrees?

Use of Funds:
The funds will be used to purchase:

• 8 microscopes: 40X-2000X LED Monocular Compound Microscope with 3D Two-Layer Mechanical Stage at $150.00 each = $1200
• 8 sets of prepared microscope slides (25 slides each) at $15.00 per set = $120
• 2 packs of blank microscope slides (100 per pack) at $15.00 each = $30

Total for the project = $1350.00