Rock Canyon Community Alliance
By Carin R. Kirkegaard; photos courtesy of Rock Canyon
(Pictured left to right) Physics teacher, Jack Van Natta receives a grant for $2,770 from Kristen White, RCCA president and Jennifer Mell, RCCA secretary and grant committee
The Rock Canyon Community Alliance (RCCA), Rock Canyon High School’s (RCHS) parent organization, granted physics teacher Jack Van Natta $2,770 through the organization’s grant committee. The funds will be used to build air filtration systems for classrooms within the school.
Van Natta said that by his calculations, his DIY units will provide seven times the filtration and cost $750,000 less than comparable commercial units being considered for purchase for schools in the district. With this grant, Van Natta intends to construct 53 filtration units. He has also incorporated the project production into his physics curriculum as well as offering other RCHS departments the opportunity to participate in this STEM-based educational opportunity.
“The grant program’s intent is to enhance the school experience for as many students as we can,” RCCA president Kristen White commented. “This spring we will award another payment,” she continued.
Originally RCCA sought to raise funds for a safe After Prom venue for students to attend, it has in recent years grown to include fundraising that fulfills teacher grants for up to $10,000 biannually each school year.
The group’s premier fundraising event, “Rock the Night Away” will be an online event this year, rather than an adult party as in years past. The online fundraiser will begin on February 28 and run through March 6 with a livestreaming event with an interactive bidding process for larger ticket auction items that will allow for real-time bidding. There will also be daily drops for those larger items too, said White.
