A Suffolk Education Foundation grant will allow John Yeates Middle School students to connect a wind turbine to partially power a portable classroom.

The project, SoWHy! (solar, wind, hydrogen) Energy, received one of several recently announced foundation grants totaling $12,000, according to a foundation news release.

“Right now, we are at the wind phase, and we have two more phases to go,” eighth-grade science teacher Louis Garland said, explaining that the next two phases are solar and hydrogen.

Students will analyze the data to learn science, technology, math and engineering concepts and about caring for the environment.

“They already have calculated it will run two computers … and the fluorescent lights,” Garland said.

To finish the project, kick-started with a previous grant from the Armed Forces Communication and Electronics Association, Garland is hoping to secure a third grant, from Dominion Virginia Power for $10,000.

“We actually have zero funding for the CHROME Club,” he said. “Everything we do, we have to write grants.”

CHROME stands for Cooperating Hampton Roads Organizations for Minorities, and students from the club are involved in the project.

Instructional programs receiving Suffolk Education Foundation, which is giving Garland’s project $2,000, support will impact more than 3,500 students during the forthcoming instructional year, Foundation officials said in a release announcing the 2013 grant recipients.

“Awards are made following an application process and review by a committee from the Suffolk Education Foundation’s board of directors.

“Selection criteria include academic impact on the most students, collaboration with other programs, and potential for sustainability.”

Other recipient projects include:

• Speak and Be Heard: King’s Fork High School. Headphones and microphones will allow French and Spanish students to record themselves speaking, without the peer pressure of doing so in front of a class. Recordings will be used for evaluations. ($854 — Kimberly Seavey)
• Project Literacy: All middle schools. A professional development training series, “Power Tools for Adolescent Literacy: Strategies for Learning,” will be developed for middle school core teachers. ($1,935 — Doug Dohey)
• An Island By Myself, No More: Forest Glen Middle School. Online one-on-one tutorial sessions, “Study Island,” designed in a fun, game-like atmosphere, will enhance reading, math, history and science lessons. ($2,000 — Kate Green, Kim Byrum)
• Listening and Loving Literature: John F. Kennedy Middle School. An expanded selection of audio library books will help students who are behind their peers in reading skills bridge the gap. ($440 — Rhonda Grimsley, Kathleen Applebee)
• DNA and Genetics: John Yeates Middle School. Equipment will allow science students to “become scientists in a real setting” by collecting and extracting DNA strands. ($361 — Kelli Caras)
• Paired Reading Passages: Hillpoint Elementary. Kits pairing fiction and non-fiction texts on the same topic will provide more opportunities to practice reading, with the objective of using critical thinking skills to improve reading comprehension. ($1,973 — Amy Espinosa, Ginny Lane)
• Transforming Geometry with Magformers: Mack Benn Jr. Elementary. Hands-on math tools, Magformers, will improve understanding of patterns, relationships, shapes and angles. ($525 — Elizabeth Petry, Megan Farabaugh, Kari Maskelony)
• Using eBooks for Math and Science: Nansemond Parkway Elementary. More electronic library books will provide non-fiction reading options that reinforce math and science concepts. ($1,857 — Tosha Cummings)
• Elapsed Time … On the Move: Oakland Elementary. During physical education classes, students will use stopwatches with several activities, such as measuring “hang time” after throwing a ball, to learn about elapsed time. ($257 — Anne McCoy).

The nonprofit Suffolk Education Foundation, established in 1993, uses fundraisers to raise money to benefit students and staff of Suffolk Public Schools.

“The mission of the Suffolk Education Foundation is to support Suffolk Public Schools by connecting the community’s talents and resources to expand educational opportunities for students and staff,” officials stated.

The foundation has funded almost $225,000 in grants, and investment assets have grown to more than $450,000.

“By supporting Suffolk Public Schools, the foundation is ensuring that the Suffolk community will have talented leaders and citizens long into the future,” the release states.