BECU awarded community grants to 48 local schools, including Auburn’s Gildo Rey Elementary and Rainier Middle School. The large, nonprofit credit union awarded more than $100,000 in community grants to support education projects that help local students excel.

“BECU school grants allow us to support programs that can have a positive impact on the lives of students, but lack funding needed to make them a reality,” said Tom Berquist, senior vice president of member strategies. “It means a lot to BECU to be able to support schools in providing tools, experiences and resources to help give kids the best education possible.”

BECU school grants are given out each year to local schools to help fund educational materials, programs and events, environmental learning trips, and technology tools such as calculators, microscopes, electronic dictionaries and more. Grants are awarded in three categories: financial literacy, environmental sustainability and technology tools. The grants are given for up to $2,500 and are awarded based on each applicant’s requested dollar amount.

BECU received approximately 600 applications and narrowed it down to 48 based on eligibility of the request, impact on student learning, number of students reached with grant funds, and potential on-going use of the item or program.

Auburn school recipients:

• Gildo Rey Elementary – environmental sustainability

The school plans to use their BECU grant money to help lower costs for students to attend camp this year. As a public school in an impoverished community, they aim to make this positive experience as attainable as possible by distributing the grant funds equally among all students.

• Rainier Middle School – financial literacy

The school plans to use their BECU grant money to cover the costs of the admission to the Junior Achievement (JA) Finance Park program and transportation for 60 students. The students would first take a course that educates them on the consequences of their actions, and then the JA Finance Park program is to teach the students about financial institutions, taxes and the role of personal budgets.

Elsewhere

The following Auburn-are students from Saint Martin’s University made the fall semester dean’s List. To earn academic honors, undergraduate students must receive a 3.5 grade point average or higher and carry at least a 12-semester-hour course load: Ninalynn Benitez (senior, elementary education, straight-A’s); Matthew Gomes (senior, civil engineering); Samuel Larsen (senior, business administration); Brok R. Pendleton (senior, business administration); Hannah Scholter (junior, biology, straight-A’s); Kristine Kaneshiro (senior, psychology). …

Erin Delo of Auburn was recognized at the Jamestown College (N.D.) Honors Convocation held April 12. Delo was recognized for the Charlotte Hansen and Harry B. Hart Memorial scholarship Delo recently spent spring break in Valdosta, Ga., with the school’s Habitat for Humanity chapter to build a home for a deserving family. The works is a service projects that exemplifies the college’s Journey to Success program. …

The following Evergreen Heights Elementary students were awarded for exemplifying the month’s trait, kindness: Chris Stumpel; Erick Estrada; Renee Legaspi; Marisa Flores; Amari Wade; Kushi Gill; Nancy Sihavong; Maile Aloncel; Matthew Garcia-Medina; Alexander Pelayo; Cooper Howat; Tanisha Long; Kathleen Mai and Colette Wagner.