Royal School District receives grant

ROYAL CITY — Students in the Royal School District will soon have better access to the internet as a means of doing their homework thanks to a $25,000 Grow Rural Education grant.

Sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, the America's Farmers Grow Rural Education Program partners with farmers hoping to make a difference in their rural communities. The program allows for farmers in eligible counties to nominate schools for grants of either $10,000 or $25,000 for science, technology, engineering and math education (STEM).

Royal School District Superintendent Roger Trail explained that the Grow Rural Education grant will be used to purchase a Chromebook cart and Kajeet Wi-Fi jetpacks as part of a math initiative in a fifth-grade class at Red Rock Elementary.

The idea, he said, is to give students an opportunity to further their learning at home by allowing them access to computers and internet devices should they need them to complete their homework and studies.

The Kajeet Wi-Fi jetpacks provide students safe internet access that can be locked down and monitored to prevent them from visiting inappropriate websites.

To qualify for the grant, the school district submitted a grant application describing their STEM-focused project. Their application was then chosen by the Grow Rural Education Farmer Advisory Council, which consisted of about 30 farmer leaders from around the country.

The Royal School District will be presented with the ceremonial grant check on Friday, Oct. 27 at the Royal High School home football game.