Lewis County School's CTE Department receives the SPARC 3.0 Grant

Lewis County Schools received $124,703.00 from the Supporting Postsecondary Access in Rural Communities (SPARC) 3.0 grant from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) The grant is awarded to distressed and at-risk counties in the state, as designated by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) index of economic status. Lewis County is one of 39 counties in Tennessee to receive an investment from the 2021 cohort of SPARC grant recipients. The third round of SPARC grant funding is a total investment of over $5 million.

SPARC is a targeted grant program for high school and adult learner populations with a specific focus on Career & Technical Education (CTE). SPARC aims to address the associated education and workforce factors that designate them as economically distressed and to remove common postsecondary education access barriers in rural counties.

The funds allocated to Lewis County School’s CTE program will be used to purchase the following CTE equipment and supplies: A.) Create a mock hospital and exam room and purchase various healthcare training simulators for the Health Science Department that replicates clinical scenarios to enhance students’ knowledge and skills. B.) Live streaming equipment, editing equipment, and supplies for the Technology Department where instructor and students will produce quality live-streamed school events and accessibility. C.) Wood lathe and supplies for the Construction Department to support instructor and students in creating, producing, and beginning a school-based enterprise in making various products. D.) Facility upgrade on the greenhouse and irrigation line, hydroponics system, animal anatomies and flower models, bovine simulators, and rotary indexer.

The specific purchases with SPARC funding will not only promote student exposure and experiences but having prior knowledge will help to move students faster and further in dual enrollment programs and postsecondary programs and increase interest in these industry sectors that are of high-demand, high-skilled, and high-wage jobs.