AIKEN, S.C. — Savannah River National Laboratory honored 29 exceptional educators from Georgia and South Carolina at an August 14 reception for the 2025 K-12 Catalyst Grants for STEM Education. With the sponsorship from Battelle’s Columbus Foundation, these teachers were selected from 83 applicants to receive a combined $125,000 in funding for innovative classroom projects that bring STEM – or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – learning to life.
The K-12 Catalyst Grants, created by a former teacher who believes education changes lives, are designed to spark creativity and hands-on problem-solving in Central Savannah River Area classrooms. The grants, awarded in amounts of $2,500 or $5,000, were judged through a blind review process to ensure fairness and merit-based selection.
This year’s winners include 19 teachers from Georgia and 10 from South Carolina, each with a unique project aimed at inspiring curiosity and preparing students for future STEM careers. Projects ranged from robotics and coding initiatives to environmental science explorations and creative technology integrations.
“At SRNL, we know that every scientist, engineer, and innovator can point to a teacher who first lit that spark of curiosity,” said SRNL Director Dr. Johney Green. “These educators are the foundation of our STEM pipeline, and these grants are our way of saying: we see you, we value you and we believe in the impact you have. When we invest in teachers, we invest in our community’s future and the discoveries that will keep our nation strong.”
SRNL has awarded $375,000 in STEM education grants since 2022 to local teachers, empowering them to bring transformative learning experiences to their students.
The K-12 Catalyst Grants for STEM Education will open for applications again in February 2026. SRNL encourages all K-12 teachers in the CSRA to apply and bring their innovative ideas to life in the classroom.
Award recipients and amounts were:
| Abbey Goldin | Buford Middle School | $5,000 |
| Amy Wheeler | Lincoln County High School | $2,500 |
| Amy Catlett | Grovetown High School | $5,000 |
| April Tomkinson | Johnston-Edgefield-Trenton Middle School | $5,000 |
| Arielle Chavis | W. S. Hornsby Elementary School | $5,000 |
| Ashley Cutler | Brookwood Elementary School | $5,000 |
| Ashley Exantus | AR Johnson Magnet | $5,000 |
| Christine Walcott | New Ellenton Middle STEAM Magnet | $2,500 |
| Danielle Altringer | South Aiken High School | $5,000 |
| David Phillips | Greenbrier Middle | $5,000 |
| Erica Cox | Blue Ridge Elementary | $5,000 |
| Erin Panter | Fannin County Middle School | $2,500 |
| Heather Barnes | Belair Middle School | $5,000 |
| Heather Wilkinson | Brookwood Elementary School | $5,000 |
| Jeannie Simmons | Chukker Creek Elementary | $5,000 |
| Kari Keck | Aiken Elementary School | $2,500 |
| Kendra Browning | Georgia School for Innovation and the Classics | $2,500 |
| Kim Stone | Creek Bridge STEM Academy | $5,000 |
| LaTasha Heath | John M Tutt Middle School | $5,000 |
| Lindsay Girosky | Savannah River Academy | $2,500 |
| Melissa Kidd | Tall Pines STEM Academy | $5,000 |
| Nicole Moss | Evans High School | $5,000 |
| Samantha Rapp | Stevens Creek Elementary School | $5,000 |
| Shalonda McCullus | Burke County Middle School | $5,000 |
| Shaunta Taylor | Bayvale Elementary | $5,000 |
| Stephany Griffin | Tall Pines STEM Academy | $5,000 |
| Sydney Thirkettle | Joseph R Pye Elementary School | $2,500 |
| Valerie McGahee | Jackson STEM Magnet Middle School | $5,000 |
| Valery Dinkins | Martinez Elementary School | $2,500 |
About Savannah River National Laboratory Savannah River National Laboratory is a multi-program national laboratory operated by Battelle Savannah River Alliance, LLC (BSRA), for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management. SRNL delivers practical, high-value, customer-focused solutions in environmental stewardship, national security, and clean energy. (www.srnl.gov)
Media contact: SRNL Media Relations