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Jonathan Alder Staff Secure Four Prestigious STEM Grants from Battelle and the Ohio STEM Learning Network

Jonathan Alder Local School District

November 14, 2025

The Jonathan Alder School District is proud to announce that four of its educators have been awarded highly competitive STEM Classroom Grants, funded by Battelle and the Ohio STEM Learning Network (OSLN). The awards were part of a statewide initiative that funded 194 grants this year to foster new, sustainable STEM education programming in K-12 classrooms.

The OSLN Classroom Grant program is a public-private partnership between Battelle and the State of Ohio, designed to empower educators to create dynamic learning environments where students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Each of the successful Jonathan Alder proposals outlined how the project would enhance the culture of STEM education, positively impact teaching and learning, connect to various STEM careers, and expand opportunities for students who may have fewer opportunities in the past.

“These grants empower Ohio educators to create dynamic learning environments where students develop the critical thinking and problem-solving skills essential for tomorrow's challenges,” said Wes Hall, Senior Vice President of Philanthropy & Education at Battelle.

Jonathan Alder Grant Winners and Projects:

Staff Member

Building

Project Title

Project Summary

Lori Kerzee

High School

Technology and Manufacturing: A Career Exploration in 3D Design and 3D Prototyping

Funds will purchase 3D printers and supplies to allow students to solve 'real world' problems around the high school. Students will learn about careers in manufacturing while gaining new technology skills in 3D modeling and 3D printing.

Libby Heinig

Junior High

Sensory Garden Walk

Ms. Heinig will work with students to build a Sensory Garden walkway at the Junior High. Materials to be purchased include benches, posts for storybook stations, materials for a barefoot pathway, a birdhouse/binocular station, a windchime station, and plants for an herb garden.

Brianna Shaner

Junior High

The Hummingbird Effect

Ms. Shaner will purchase a class set of Hummingbird kits. These kits allow students to build different robot configurations using motors, lights, and sensors, beginning with imagining real-world scenarios and then building and testing working prototypes to solve a challenge.

Lexus Wolf

Monroe Elementary School (MES)

STEM Mosaic Design Challenge

The grant will fund a year-long Mosaic Community STEM Project. Students will work with their house systems to learn about mosaic tiling, with each system creating a panel that will be joined together at the culmination of the project to form one large community mosaic.

“When students engage with quality STEM education, they gain access to pathways that transform families and energize local economies,” said Sandra Wilder, Director of the Ohio STEM Learning Network.

The Jonathan Alder School District celebrates the ingenuity of its educators and looks forward to the expanded STEM learning opportunities these grants will bring to students across all grade levels.