SIMCO Awards Teacher STEM Mini-grants

Salado Isolation Mining Contractors, LLC (SIMCO) is pleased to award $20,000 in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) teacher mini-grants to 15 area teachers throughout Eddy and Lea counties as part of its continued commitment to local communities.

SIMCO’s Mini-Grant program encourages, promotes and coordinates STEM education, along with a broader focus of incorporating a ‘hands on’ approach in the classroom. Awards ranged from $1000 to $2,000. SIMCO will present the awards to the teachers during a private ceremony on November 18, 2025.

“SIMCO is an integral part of the Eddy and Lea county communities, and we feel it’s vital to support education in those counties,” said President and Program Manager Ken Harrawod. “I am very excited by the wide selection of ages and schools represented within our STEM grant program. We are proud to support our schools and our teachers, and I offer my deep appreciation to all of the teachers in our region.”

“We fully recognize the time and dedication teachers invest in STEM education. A STEM-focused education is something that benefits students throughout their lives,” said Dr. Joy James-Foster, SIMCO’s education outreach lead.

STEM Teacher Mini-Grant awardees include:

• $2,000 to Lea Elementary School (Loving, NM) to purchase mini education robots that the school will use as a hands-on introduction to coding and problem-solving for its STEM Lab.

• $2,000 to Yarbro Elementary School (Lovington, NM) to design, build, and safely launch commercially manufactured model rockets using solid‑propellant model motors.

• $2,000 to Booker T. Washington Elementary School (Hobbs, NM) to purchase “Squishy Circuits,” a science activity for grades K-5 as a design tool that allows students to create circuits and explore electronics using playdoh.

• $2,000 to Carlsbad Early College High School (Carlsbad, NM) to acquire a full set of tablets to provide 1:1 or a 2:1 student device ratio in the STEM Lab so that each student can access digital tools for coding, virtual labs, data collection and engineering design software.

• $1,500 to Alta Vista Middle School (Carlsbad) to purchase supplies to build a STEM Greenhouse Lab. This lab will allow students to study plant growth and to observe environmental factors.

• $1,500 to Cottonwood Elementary School (Carlsbad) to purchase supplies which will provide first grade students with engaging, hands-on STEM activities to spark curiosity, creativity, and much-needed problem solving skills.

• $1,500 to Desert Willow Elementary School (Carlsbad) to introduce 3D printer pens into the STEM classroom, providing younger students with hands-on experience in 3D printing.

• $1,000 to Carlsbad High School (Carlsbad) to purchase seeds and gardening supplies to provide hands-on science education to students with cognitive disabilities.

• $1,000 to Hobbs High School (Hobbs) funding to purchase models to use as a tool to teach the concept of derivatives. Models help students at all levels in visual representation and explorations, building a better conceptual understanding.

• $1,000 to SENM Homeschool Hub (Carlsbad) for supplies allowing students to design and test miniature hazardous waste storage systems using engineering principles and materials science concepts.

• $1,000 to CTECH (Hobbs) to purchase eight Sphero Bolt Robots and the accompanying Terrain Park kit for use in their Mechatronics and Robotics/Drone classes.

• $1,000 to the Carlsbad High School theater program (Carlsbad) to acquire supplies allowing them to integrate chemistry and engineering with theatrical design.

• $1,000 awarded to Carlsbad Early College High School (Carlsbad) to purchase a classroom set of graphing calculators for use in the STEM Lab.

• $1,000 to Loving High School (Loving) to purchase Kindle Fire tablets to serve as dedicated control devices for Sphero robots and DJI drones providing hands-on experience with robotics programming and autonomous flight systems.

• $500 to Early Childhood Education Center (Carlsbad) to integrate “Little Engineers: Building Our Neighborhood,” a hands-on STEM project where kindergarten students will explore basic engineering, math, and science concepts by designing and constructing a model neighborhood.