Greater Lynchburg Community Trust Awards Randolph College a $2,000 Grant for Science Fest

LYNCHBURG—Randolph College has received a $2,000 grant from The Greater Lynchburg Community Trust (GLCT) in support of the College’s 2012 Science Festival.

The GLCT grant will allow the College to offer a poetry contest in conjunction with the Science Festival. The contest is open to all students in grades K-12, and the poems must have a science or math theme and can be in any form, such as Haiku, limerick, free form, etc. (See below for more details)

Now in its fourth year, Randolph’s Science Festival is sponsored by the College’s Society of Physics Students and scheduled for March 22-25. Science Fest features hands on activities, demonstrations, and events all designed to spark an interest in science in people of all ages. The Festival also includes Science Day, an annual program geared toward younger children. Science Day has become increasingly popular since its inception in 2005.

“We could not have such a big event, with such a wide reach, without the support of GLCT,” said Peter Sheldon, a Randolph physics professor who organizes the Science Festival. “Through the poetry contest, we are showing the connection between science and the arts, and we will reach out to the 20,000 or so K-12 students in the greater Lynchburg community. Through this grant, we are able to bring a part of the Science Festival to a large number of students, even if they are unable to attend the weekend event.”

The poetry contest is open to all students from the area in grades K-12. The College will choose 39 finalists who will receive certificates. Of those finalists, three prizes of $100, $50, and $25 gift cards will be given in the elementary, middle and high school categories. If the winning poem is done as part of a class, the teacher of the winning student will receive an equal prize. Submissions must be postmarked by Feb. 17. Submissions can be typed, scanned, or e-mailed. Mail entries to psheldon@randolphcollege.edu or Peter Sheldon, Randolph College, 2500 Rivermont Avenue, Lynchburg, VA 24503.

A reading of the finalists’ entries will take place at March 23 at 7 p.m. in the Jack Room of Smith Building on Randolph’s campus.

The Greater Lynchburg Community Trust exists to promote local philanthropy and to simplify the process of giving. The Community Trust receives and manages permanent gifts for the benefit of the citizens of the cities of Lynchburg and Bedford and the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, and Campbell. Needs served are broad in scope including human services to children, youth, the needy, and the elderly; education; health; the arts; and the humanities.

For more information about Science Fest or Science Day, please see http://physics.randolphcollege.edu/sps/scifest/ or contact Peter Sheldon at psheldon@randolphcollege.edu