COVINGTON, Ga. — Newton County-area schools will have the funds to help establish new mentoring, foreign language and physical education programs after they were named recipients of state Opportunity Grants this week.
More than $19,000 in grants were awarded to Social Circle High School and the Newton County School System and five of its schools from federal stimulus funds the Department of Education received under the federal American Rescue Plan Act.
The Georgia Department of Education is giving Opportunity Grants totaling almost $900,000 to school districts statewide to expand options and opportunities for their students, State School Superintendent Richard Woods said Thursday.
The Newton County-area recipients and amounts:
• Social Circle High School received $3,000 in a Fine Arts Consumables and Equipment (FACE) grant to allow fine arts teachers to implement sustainable fine arts education instruction initiatives to increase access to quality fine arts education, a news release stated.
• Newton County School System received $5,000 in an AP Teacher Mentoring Grant to provide financial support for districts to design a mentoring program for teachers, including mentoring activities.
The grant funds will allow schools to offer focused support to new or experienced AP teachers who seek to improve their instructional practices, the release stated.
• West Newton Elementary School received $ 4,369 in a Physical Education Project (PEP) grant to provide physical education teachers opportunities to implement sustainable physical education initiatives and increase access to quality physical education.
• Palmer Stone Elementary School received $2,000 and East Newton Elementary School $2,000 in Student Fitness Education Program and Equipment (STEP) grants to provide physical education teachers opportunities to implement sustainable fitness education instruction initiatives and acquire the necessary equipment to increase access to quality fitness education.
• Eastside High School will receive $2,000 and Clements Middle School $1,000 in World Languages Innovation grants to provide opportunities for public schools in Georgia to create and enhance existing programs and activities that connect world language instruction with other academic areas.
Woods said the grants "allow schools and districts to continue to expand opportunities and ensure an excellent education for students across the state."
“Education is more than just the core content areas, and this funding will ensure students have access to opportunities that prepare them for life and keep them engaged in school,” he said.
