Sage Creek Teacher Sheila Robbins Wins Toyota Tapestry Grant $10,000

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SPRINGVILLE TEACHER TO RECEIVE TOYOTA TAPESTRY GRANT TO EXPAND SCIENCE EDUCATION STUDENTS TO CREATE PLANT DISCOVERY AREA AND EDUCATE THEIR PEERS Torrance. Calif. – March 23, 2010 – Toyota and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) awarded Sage Creek Elementary School teacher Sheila Robbins a $10,000 Toyota TAPESTRY grant for excellence and innovation in science education. Robbins was one of 79 teachers selected from more than 500 applications to receive the grant this year, which marks the 20th anniversary of Toyota’s and NSTA’s efforts to promote science education in classrooms through the Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers Program. Under Robbins’ direction, her students will be studying and planting native Utah plants in a “discovery area” that the students are creating at Sage Creek Elementary School. The students will share the knowledge they gain from this project with other fourth graders, and also second graders. In the fall, they’ll gather seeds from the plants and then later plant them in the National Forest located nearby the school. "From working to develop an alternative to fossil fuels, to building an electric car from the ground up, the accomplishments of the Toyota TAPESTRY recipients are truly inspiring,” said Michael Rouse, Toyota’s vice president of philanthropy and community affairs. “Toyota is honored to be celebrating two decades of recognizing excellent teachers and the thousands of students who have formed passionate connections with science through the TAPESTRY program.” Sponsored by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. and administered by the NSTA, Toyota TAPESTRY grant is the largest annual K-12 science teacher grant program in the United States. Award-winning projects are selected from three critical areas for today’s youth: environmental science, physical science, and science applications that promote literacy. Over the past 20 years, Toyota has awarded more than $9.2 million in grants to more than 1,147 teams of teachers and tens of thousands of students. Nearly $550,000 in grants will be awarded to 79 K-12 educators across the country as a part of the 2010 program. The winning programs will begin classroom implementation in June. “For the past 20 years NSTA has partnered with Toyota to deliver this inspiring, far-reaching program that gives teachers the tools they need to introduce real-world science into their classrooms,” said Francis Eberle, Executive Director for NSTA. “It is a wonderfully rewarding partnership and NSTA is excited to celebrate 20 years of providing classroom resources and inspiration for countless educators and students with the Toyota TAPESTRY program.” Toyota TAPESTRY is open to elementary, middle and high school science teachers in the United States and its territories, including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Teachers may apply individually or in teams. Applications are submitted online and are due in January each year. For more information about Toyota TAPESTRY grants, visit www.nsta.org/programs/tapestry or call (800) 807-9852. About Toyota Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in the United States in 1957 and currently operates 10 manufacturing plants. Toyota directly employs nearly 34,000 in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design. Toyota is committed to being a good corporate citizen in the communities where it does business and believes in supporting programs with long-term sustainable results. Toyota supports numerous organizations across the country, focusing on education, the environment and safety. Since 1991, Toyota has contributed more than $500 million to philanthropic programs in the U.S. For more information on Toyota's commitment to improving communities nationwide, visit http://www.toyota.com/about/philanthropy. About National Science Teachers Association The Arlington, VA-based National Science Teachers Association is the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. NSTA's current membership includes more than 60,000 science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives, and others involved in science education. Media Contact: Krystle Meyer GolinHarris for Toyota (213) 438-8753 kmeyer [at] golinharris [dot] com
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