Skip to Content
/ Articles / Education /

Reading High School Receives Lowe’s Grant For Outdoor Learning Laboratory

by Reading School District

Jun 21, 2019
Reading School District

$5,000 will provide funding for Reading High School

(Reading, PA) – The Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation has awarded a $5,000 Lowe’s Toolbox for Education® grant to Reading High School for renovation of the school’s interior courtyard. Students and faculty of the School’s Green Committee have been designing criteria to reimagine the school’s courtyard and create a welcoming spot to conduct outdoor classes. Reading High School is one of 545 schools across the United States to be awarded a Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant this spring for improvement projects.

Reading High School seeks to transform the old, unused interior courtyard into a habitat garden and living learning laboratory in an effort to expand its STEAM and environmental education opportunities. The courtyard will become a healthy habitat for native plants and animals. Students and faculty of the school’s Green Committee have planned to create a learning laboratory that will include a native pollinator garden, raised beds, hardscaping for an outdoor learning space, a turtle pond. The school recently received a custom-made bench from Habitat for Humanity. “We are excited to receive this grant,” said Jeannine Michel, high school science teacher who has been a faculty leader for the Green Committee. “The students are excited to see their plans turn into reality.”  Students will be involved in various renovation projects in the fall.

Eco Club members surveying the existing courtyard and measuring dimensions for future renovations

“The Lowe’s Toolbox for Education program delivers on Lowe’s commitment to improve the educational environment for students across the country,” said Maureen Ausura, chairwoman of the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation. “We’re honored to work with Reading High School to support the needs of our local students, teachers and families.”

Since its inception in 2006, Lowe’s Toolbox for Education has provided nearly $45 million in grants to more than 10,000 schools, benefiting more than 6 million schoolchildren. Grants are available to K-12 public schools in the United States for a wide range of improvement projects. Schools may be eligible to receive Toolbox grants up to $100,000. Parent groups and educators can apply by visiting ToolboxForEducation.com.

Since 1957, the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation has helped improve communities across North America through financial contributions and support for employee volunteerism.

About Lowe’s in the Community

Lowe’s, a FORTUNE® 100 home improvement company, has a 50-year legacy of supporting the communities it serves through programs that focus on K-12 public education and community improvement projects. Since 2007, Lowe’s and the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation together have contributed more than $225 million to these efforts, and for more than two decades Lowe’s Heroes employee volunteers have donated their time to make our communities better places to live. To learn more, visit Lowes.com/SocialResponsibility and LowesInTheCommunity.tumblr.com.

We need your support!

Your contribution makes community media possible.

A donation of any size to your nonprofit media organization supports the future of media access in our community - the things you love, and the places you care about, by the people you know.

Live Streaming