A group of
local, creative high school students is in the running for a
$50,000 grant, courtesy of
Pepsi Co.
The
DeWitt Creativity Group (DCG), a DeWitt High School organization made up of about 80 students and faculty, hopes to use the
Pepsi Refresh Project
money to organize the 2011 Mid-Michigan Creative Teacher/Student
Summit. They
are up against 571 applicants nationwide for the grant and
expect to hear results in the first or second week of June.
Jason LaFay, DeWitt High School faculty and creativity group organizer,
says the organization prepares students for the New Economy by
encouraging creativity in design, alternative energy, robotics and
information technology, among other disciplines. Their annual summit
intends to bring like-minded students and teachers in Michigan together
in a non-competitive setting to promote collaboration.
“Hopefully [the Summit] will highlight these innovative classes that
people aren’t aware of,” LaFay says. “Together, these students could
really do some amazing things.”
In the two-and-a-half years of its existence, the DCG has steadily
grown in student participation, attended multiple conferences and
partnered with DeWitt businesses to give students work experience.
LaFay says seeking grants will be an ongoing process and he also hopes
to raise money for the organization through sponsorships from local business.
Voting for the Pepsi Refresh Grant ends May 31 and can be done
here.
Source: Jason LaFay, DeWitt Creativity Group
Writer: Andy Balaskovitz
All Photographs © Dave
Trumpie
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