WARSAW — Jefferson Elementary School has been selected to receive a $979 grant from Kosciusko Endowment Youth Services (KEYS), a youth philanthropy program that's part of the Kosciusko County Community Foundation.

This grant, written and submitted by Jefferson educator Kara Nieter, will provide 3D printing filament to support hands-on engineering projects in the STEM lab.

The funding will empower students at Jefferson to explore engineering, creativity, and design thinking through real-world 3D printing applications. The filament will be used for a variety of student-centered projects across grade levels, further enriching STEM education through hands-on learning.

“We are grateful to KEYS and the Kosciusko County Community Foundation for their continued investment in our students,” said Joshua Wall, Principal of Jefferson Elementary.

“This grant will have a direct impact on our learners, allowing them to prototype, create, and engineer in ways that would not be possible otherwise. We’d also like to extend a special thanks to Mrs. Nieter for her leadership in securing this funding that will greatly benefit our STEM programming.”

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WARSAW  ̶̶̶  Nearly $8,000 was awarded to 15 recipients in the most recent Kosciusko Endowment Youth Services (KEYS) grant cycle.

Those include Akron Elementary School; Harrison Elementary School; Lakeland Christian Academy; Little Cats Early Learning Center; Pierceton Elementary School; Rose Garden Recovery Community; Sacred Heart Catholic Elementary School; Tippecanoe Valley High School; Warsaw Community High School; Washington STEM Academy.

KEYS is a youth philanthropy program of the Kosciusko County Community Foundation. It is comprised of twenty students who attend the four high schools in Kosciusko County --  Lakeland Christian Academy, Tippecanoe Valley, Warsaw Community and Wawasee.

At Tippecanoe Valley High School, Lisa Lynch teaches a thriving visual arts program. “Art has a uge impact on students,” Lynch said. “It gives them an outlet to express their feelings in a safe way. It also boosts self-esteem and builds confidence.”

Students in the art program come away with skills they will use in the workforce, such as creativity, patience and problem-solving. The art program recently received a KEYS grant. With the grant, the school purchased easels for painting and displays, stamps to personalize clay pieces, and artist smocks.

“We appreciate the KEYS grant and the Community Foundation so much,” Lynch said. “The grant helps support all the wonderful things art provides for our students.”

Students are selected to join in eighth grade and remain active members in the program until they graduate from high school.

KEYS members learn about philanthropy, teamwork, nonprofit governance, leadership, and
service to their community.

As a grant-making body, they recommend grants supporting education in our community. Last year, they recommended nearly $29,000 in grants to educators and nonprofits.

KEYS grant applications are due on January 15 and September 15 each year. Learn more and apply at kcfoundation.org/grants/keys-grants.

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