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ALPLA Donates $20,000 to Support Henry County Schools STEM Programs

HENRY COUNTY, GA – ALPLA North America recently made two donations totaling $20,000 to support robotics and Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) programs within Henry County Schools.

Fulfilling the district’s vision of ensuring a high-quality, world-class education for every student includes expanding science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) opportunities at every school across the district.

These donations will further the Board of Education’s investment in districtwide robotics and STEM programs as articulated in its 2021-2026 Community-Inspired Strategic Plan.

“Henry County Schools is grateful to the ALPLA organization for its generous $20,000 donation to support our STEM initiatives,” said Chief Learning and Performance Officer Termerion McCrary. “Half of the funding will be used to host our district’s first-ever robotics competition, building on our board’s Strategic Plan initiative and investments designed to expand STEM opportunities across the district.”

HCS’ inaugural robotics competition, planned for February 2025, is a significant step in promoting robotics excellence districtwide.

Ola High School, a forerunner in cultivating a thriving robotics program, boasts a series of impressive accomplishments since establishing its first robotics club just over a decade ago. In recent years, the school’s VEX Robotics teams have secured top honors in statewide and international competitions.

The district’s CTAE pathways prepare students for college, life, and career opportunities, including in STEM fields. The other half of the ALPLA funding will provide resources for construction students at the Academy for Advanced Studies (AAS) to build raised garden beds, which will be transferred to elementary schools across the district.

Elementary school STEM Lab teachers will incorporate the gardens as an instructional tool in outdoor learning, providing students with an engaging approach to understanding science and agriculture. The gardens will also support schools’ farm-to-table programs, with harvested crops benefiting students and the community.

“Our district’s goal is to be a leader in providing STEM educational opportunities in the region,” said Superintendent Dr. John Pace III. “This objective, like many others outlined in our Strategic Plan, is our response to the community’s voice. Just as we nurture opportunities to understand and respond to our community’s needs, we also welcome their support as we strive toward those goals. We are grateful for ALPLA’s continued commitment to creating exceptional opportunities for our students.”

HCS has allocated various funding streams to districtwide STEM advancement, including dedicating Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (E-SPLOST) funds to support various STEM initiatives, such as earmarking $303,000 to develop robotics curricula and K-5 activities. Additional investments also supported STEM lab upgrades and purchases of digital microscopes, hydroponic tower garden kits, and other resources.

“Our goal is to ensure every child has access to STEM educational opportunities,” said Board Chair Sophe Pope (Dist. 4). “ALPLA’s generous gift supports the district’s vision of STEM for all students across Henry County Schools.”

HCS is focused on promoting STEM districtwide and expanding opportunities for all students to develop competencies in STEM subjects. These efforts, including ALPLA’s sponsorship, will provide students with even more opportunities and help pave the way for students to attend the district’s state-of-the-art STEM high school scheduled to open in 2027.

“We are incredibly grateful for our partnership with ALPLA, a company that has been a consistent and valuable supporter of our schools and students,” said Director of STEM and Innovative Practice Dr. Rabieh Hafza. “Through their generous grants and collaborative efforts, we’ve been able to create opportunities that directly benefit our school system and community.”

ALPLA North America has supported HCS programs for several years. Established and headquartered in McDonough, the company which manufactures high-quality plastic packaging solutions, provides additional support for the district’s CTAE and robotics programs by granting industry tours that give students more insight into engineering and manufacturing processes. 

About Henry County Schools

Henry County Schools (HCS) is the eighth-largest school district in Georgia, consisting of 53 schools and located about 20 minutes south of Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Over the past two decades, our community has grown in population from 113,000 residents to over 244,000 residents. Since 1999, student enrollment has grown from 21,000 to 43,000 students, and our number of employees has grown from 3,000 to 6,000.

HCS is “In Pursuit of Exceptional,” taking action to advance opportunities, access, and outcomes so that every student in our school district has Exceptional Support, Exceptional Access, and an Exceptional Future. In 2020, our Board of Education adopted our 2021-2026 Community-Inspired Strategic Plan and laid out a clear vision and mission for Henry County Schools. Our vision is to ensure a high-quality, world-class education for every student, and our mission is to empower all students with exceptional opportunities and access that lead to success in a global society.

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