TVA supports Irving College

Caden Hurley

Irving College Elementary School received a $5,000 STEM grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in partnership with Bicentennial Volunteers Incorporated (BVI) Thursday.

“The grant allowed us to purchase an eight-count indi class pack and a 15-count Bolt+ power pack to help us work on programming skills and TN new Computer Science standards,” Irving College STEM teacher Marsha Riggs said.

Indi class robots from Sphero will give students an introduction to programing concepts by using colored cards which provide instructions to the robot on where to turn and how fast to move. BOLT+ robots allow students to gain a more advanced understanding of coding using multiple programable sensors, motors and an LED screen.

In total, 647 schools applied for STEM grants and 342 of those schools were selected to receive the grants. The TVA STEM Classroom Grant Program offers $1.5 million in grants to schools across Tennessee in 2025.

TVA created its STEM Classroom Grant to encourage students to take interest in fields like doctors, civil engineers, nuclear scientists, computer programmers and robot designers.

BVI is an organization that allows retired and former TVA members with the opportunity to get involved in volunteer work, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) work and TVA contract work.

“Irving College is excited to integrate STEM standards, coding and programming into our STEM classrooms,” Irving College principal Brandy Wilcher said. “We are thankful for the opportunity and the impact it will have on student hands-on learning. Thank you, TVA, for helping make this possible.”