PPG Donates $8,000 to Teays Valley Local School District

The PPG Industries Foundation has donated $8,000 to the Teays Valley Local School District to support a new science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) after-school and summer program for Teays Valley West Middle School students.

“We are very pleased to receive support from PPG for this program,” said Jeff Sheets, superintendent of Teays Valley Local School District. “Students’ success in learning the standards depends on teaching and learning as an active inquiry process. The STEM program therefore encourages students to build their abilities and interest in these important disciplines by involving them in hands-on activities and projects that create uniquely personal educational experiences.”

Through President Obama’s recently-introduced Educate to Innovate campaign, schools and other organizations nationwide are being encouraged to spend money, time and volunteer effort on spurring students to pursue STEM education. Teays Valley is one of seven school districts in central Ohio selected to begin STEM after-school and summer programs in the 2009-2010 school year. Two Teays Valley science teachers, Missy Adkins and Marie Hammond, participated in special training to support the program, which also includes a community-service project for students.

“PPG is strongly committed to supporting the communities where its employees work and live,” said Dave Moss, plant manager for PPG’s coatings manufacturing facility in Circleville, OH. “We are proud to support the Teays Valley Local School District in its efforts to promote STEM education for middle school students. These disciplines are a high priority for both PPG and the current U.S. administration, as they are the foundations for developing tomorrow’s innovators in engineering, chemistry and other technology-oriented fields.”