Gazette News Report

CEDARVILLE — A group of Cedarville High School teachers have been awarded a grant from the Voya Unsung Heroes program.

Shea Havens-White, Angela Yake, Grant Rogers and Jason Siwek have received $2,000 from the company, which provides retirement plans for educators. Through the program, Voya Financial awards grants to K-12 educators nationwide to honor their innovative teaching methods, creative educational projects, and their ability to positively influence the children they teach.

The Cedarville teachers’ idea, “No Holds Barred,” is focused on building a cohesive department where business, science, and technology classes work together to create a program that requires students to break out of their bubble to build, design, and sell products of their own design. Students involved in this new and unique program will engage in meaningful project-based learning experiences, encourage students in interdisciplinary learning, and motivate their peers to think as scientists, entrepreneurs and artists. The students will begin by learning the basics of hands-on entrepreneurship and business management as they form their own small business.

By selling the products that they create on the school’s dedicated e-commerce website, students’ learning experiences will become an actual commodity.

Selected from a group of more than 1,350 applicants, the group is among only 100 winners across the country and only six in Ohio who will receive this award to help fund and bring their program to life. In addition the Cedarville teachers will now compete with other finalists for one of the top three prizes — an additional $5,000, $10,000 or $25,000 from Voya Financial.