The Pocahontas County Board of Education’s recent federal award through the USDA’s Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant demonstrates the power of partnerships and local support. The application process included matching funds from several local contributors that made the project possible.
“We would like to publicly thank those that stepped up and invested in local education as we dove headfirst into distance learning and the challenges that came with it,” said Ruth Bland, director of Student Support Services for Pocahontas County Schools. “Our community recognized the need for technology to support the new normal of digital learning and have given our students and teachers a competitive edge moving forward. We are so grateful.”
Contributors to the project:
• Green Bank Observatory
• Pocahontas County Commission
• West Virginia Department of Education
• Associated Universities, Inc.
• Dominion Energy
• Rotary Lions Club
• Charles and Caroline Sheets
• Truesdale Family
• Janice Cozart
• Kenton Leach
• Donald and Connie Waybright
• Region IV
• Snowshoe Foundation
The Pocahontas County Board of Education also recognizes the support from Youth Health Services, school staff and parents who provided input, students who wrote support letters, Sherry Radcliff, Ruth Bland, Laura Young, and the Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation who provided the grant writing and technical assistance.
The Pocahontas County Board of Education was notified in November of the USDA Rural Utility Service award of $434,779. The project will allow for the purchase of distance learning supplies for remote and blended learning, provide remote options for professional development and training for educators, and expand student focused mental health telemedicine capabilities in partnership with Youth Health Services, Inc. The grant will benefit approximately 3,000 residents in Pocahontas County.
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