POWERGRAMS

4 A Touch of Class Equipping a patient care technician lab is an expensive undertaking, particularly for a high school in an urban community like Fairfield. Peyton Lee, who recently headed the project, said with the help of the Alabama Power Foundation and others in the Birmingham area, his students are taking advantage of the lab sooner than expected. "It meant so much that the Alabama Power Foundation chose us to receive a grant," said Lee, Career and Technical Education (CTE) health science teacher at Fairfield High Preparatory School. "It shows me that we have businesses and companies like Alabama Power in our city that truly care about educating our youths and getting our kids everything they can to be successful, whether they are going to college or into the workforce." Lee said the patient care technician lab is a central feature of the school's CTE health science program. The three-year college- preparatory and job-readiness program provides students with the knowledge and skills to pursue a career in health care. Along with learning about available career paths, students study anatomy and are trained to check a patient's blood pressure, operate an electrocardiogram (EKG) machine, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and give bed baths. Seniors who are not planning to attend college have the opportunity to take the prerequisite exam for becoming a patient care technician at a hospital or other health care facility, preparing them for immediate employment after graduation. "We know that all students are not going to college," said Lee. "We help them understand that it's OK not to go to college, but you need to find a trade and become trained if you want to work right out of high school. Through our program, we give them all the opportunities we can to get a sustainable job right out of high school." Lee said foundation funds were used to buy equipment for the lab, which provides hands- on experience to high school seniors who are completing the program. Among those items are blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes, bedside commodes, tourniquets, collars and life-size mannequins that help students learn to lift and turn patients. "We were literally creating the lab from scratch," Lee said. "Without that grant, we might not have been able to buy some of those tools this year and would have had to wait." Principal Timothy Perry agreed that the grant is making a difference. "We really appreciate the grant from the Alabama Power Foundation," said Perry. "Now we have our own equipment, and we don't have to send our students to the hospital for training. We can train them here and get them ready for a job right out of high school." Lee has worked at Fairfield High Preparatory School as a health science teacher for two years and an athletic trainer for four years. He believes that his role in helping students prepare for their future in health care is a "calling from God." "We have gone through so much with the COVID pandemic," Lee said. "The need for nurses and patient care technicians is so great. Being able to train our students so they can give back what our community needs right now is huge." The Alabama Power Foundation provides teachers and educators with classroom grants up to $1,000 to pay for materials and supplies that can be used in the classroom to enhance students' ability to learn. Grants may be used to fund COVID-19 relief efforts, including technology to enhance virtual learning and cleaning and sanitation supplies for the classroom. Additionally, nonprofits that provide services to school systems are eligible to apply for classroom grants. The funding is available to elementary, middle and high schools that meet certain financial criteria. Schools with 50% or more of the full-time student population receiving free or reduced-price lunches are eligible for support. Teachers can use the grants to purchase basic school supplies, like crayons, pencils, paper or scissors; rugs, beanbags, bins and other room décor; school library books and materials; and multimedia equipment. Other possible uses include adapting curriculum and purchasing laptops and tablets for distance/ virtual learning, and addressing emotional and social needs of students and educators resulting from the pandemic. In 2021, the foundation awarded grants totaling $114,708 to schools, school systems and nonprofits in all six company divisions. By Carla Davis EDUCATION APF GRANTS LEND HAND TO STUDENTS STATEWIDE Teachers and students at Fairfield High School use equipment purchased through a grant from the Alabama Power Foundation. PHOTOS BY CHUCK ST. JOHN Peyton Lee

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