July 3, 2012 - Consolidated Communications recently awarded a grant to the Atwood Hammond School District 39 and Science Teacher Tim Manselle 
for $600 from the company’s Earning for Learning (EFL) program to purchase equipment to build and launch rockets.
Manselle said project gives students hands on experience with Newton’s laws of motion, acceleration and force. “During the launches I heard the students discussing acceleration and thrust, trajectory and aerodynamics, using terms and even formulas that we discussed in class more than a month before the launch,” Manselle said. “My goal as a science teacher is to install a love for science, math and engineering and to try to light a fire in these students to get into one of these fields, to make America a stronger, better place to live.”
“We’re pleased we were able to help fund this science lesson for the Atwood Hammond students through our Earning for Learning grant,” said Laura ZuHone, of Consolidated Communications. “Our EFL grants are designed to support education in the communities we serve, and we feel this donation succeeded in giving students the experience of participating in a great science lesson.”
Since 1993, Consolidated Communications’ EFL program has donated more than $3 million to local schools to use for teacher grants, computer and software purchase and other items and projects not included in typical school budgets. Participating schools are invited to submit a grant application to request funds for a specific financial need. Grants are approved based on the description of need and funds available at the time of the request.