Teachers and administrators at Collinsville School are taking advantage of grant opportunities, and students there are seeing the benefits. Three recent grants have allowed students to further a recycling program, get a pet in the classroom and give other students the chance to learn hands-on Alabama history. Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation recently awarded a $4,000 Toolbox for Education grant to Collinsville School to build an enclosed pavilion to house the Collinsville School Terracycle recycling area. Collinsville is one of more than 585 schools or parent organizations to be awarded a Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant for parent-initiated school improvement projects benefiting K-12 public education across the U.S. during the 2010-11 school year. The Collinsville Terracycle Project needed a weather-resistant structure to house collected items for recycling. Currently, recycling bins are located outside in the open. Rainwater often fills the bins during stormy weather. Wind creates a problem when it blows the lids off the bins and the contents are spread throughout the campus. The pavilion will provide a cleaner more sanitary environment for collecting recyclable products. The project is scheduled to be completed this summer. “Lowe’s is committed to recognizing and supporting efforts that enrich the lives of our neighbors and customers,” said Marshall Croom, chairman of Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation. “By supporting schools like Collinsville, we know we are contributing to a cause that’s important to our customers and employees and helping build stronger communities.” Another grant received recently at Collinsville School was from the Pets in the Classroom program. Collinsville fourth-grade teacher Lorilyn Owen received the $150 grant to buy a leopard gecko for her classroom. “This addition has allowed us to learn about desert environments and reptiles,” Owen said. “We also discussed voting and utilized tally marks when choosing the name. We calculated how long it would take Rio to eat 500 mealworms. We are learning new things every day. Owen said the Collinsville fourth-grade classes also visited Sequoyah Caverns on Thursday thanks to a Target Field Trip Grant. Owen said the three classes received $700 from Target Stores to fund the trip, along with lunch at Stevi B’s in Fort Payne. “The staff at Stevi B’s greeted all 66 students with a smile and were outstanding with our group,” Owen said. Owen said the trip to Sequoyah Caverns near Sylvania follows the fourth-grade Alabama history course of study requirements.