By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

A trio of local schools will move forward with constructing new outdoor classrooms and implementing conservation lessons for teachers and students after they recently received grants from the Alabama Power Foundation.

The foundation recently announced grant winners through its Students to Stewards program, which works to instill environmental conservation and stewardship skills in the state’s children.

Through this year’s program, the foundation granted nearly $60,000 to 16 schools across the state.

The grants came in two categories: Outdoor classroom grants and curriculum grants. Those selected for the outdoor classroom grants can receive up to $7,500 to construct a new outdoor classroom for students, and recipients of the curriculum grant can receive up to $1,000 to institute conservation-related classroom lessons, teacher training and in-the-field learning.

The outdoor classroom grant program is a partnership between the Alabama Power Foundation and the Alabama Wildlife Federation, and the AWF will provide guidance to schools as they create their outdoor classrooms.

Meadow View Elementary School in Alabaster and Montevallo Elementary School each received outdoor classroom grants from the foundation, and Calera Middle School received a curriculum grant.

“We have been very pleased with the progress of the Students to Stewards program,” Matt Bowden, Alabama Power foundation board member and vice president of environmental affairs, wrote in a statement. “It gives students all across the state the opportunity to learn about the outdoors and equips them with knowledge on how they can be good stewards of our natural resources.”