In 2005, Ameren donated 105 fuel cell kits, totaling $150,000, to teachers throughout Ameren's service areas in Missouri and Illinois. High school science teachers can use the kits \- and a curriculum that reinforces Ameren's commitment to the environment and explains energy generation through renewable resources \- to build awareness of renewable energy sources through hands-on experiments.
Recipient schools in Missouri were:
South Elementary School; Eldon
McCluer North High School; Florissant
Hayti High School; Hayti
Northwest Valley Middle School; House Springs
Helias Interparish High School; Jefferson City
Louisiana R-2 High School; Louisiana
Parkway South High School; Manchester
Mexico Public Schools; Mexico
Moberly Middle School; Moberly
Riverbend School; Pacific
Portageville School District; Portageville
Risco High School; Risco
Orchard Farm Middle School; St. Charles
Hardin Middle School; St. Charles
Lewis and Clark Career Center; St. Charles
St. Charles West; St. Charles
Metro Academic and Classical High School; St. Louis
Webster Middle School; St. Louis
Viburnum Middle School; Viburnum
St. Francis Borgia Regional High; Washington
Annunciation Catholic School; Webster Groves
Wellsville-Middletown R-1 High; Wellsville
Wentzville Middle School; Wentzville
Lafayette High School; Wildwood
"We support our communities in many ways beyond our basic role of providing reliable gas and electric service," said AmerenUE Energy Delivery Senior Vice President Richard Mark. "This program supported education throughout Ameren's service area \- where school systems are facing some tough financial pressures." Besides providing fuel cell kits, Ameren's now discontinued Power Up program also provided more than 200 SMART Board' interactive whiteboards \- with a total value of $600,000 \- to K-12 classrooms throughout the Ameren companies' service areas in Missouri and Illinois. The SMART Board' interactive whiteboard is a touch-sensitive display about the size of a standard whiteboard. Hooked up to a computer and projector, it operates like a giant computer screen that students and teachers simply touch to operate. Students can also write over applications in digital ink and then save their work for future study and review.
In addition, Ameren awarded $250 grants to individual teachers for classroom equipment or supplies of their choice \- up to a total of $150,000 awarded.,P. Ameren, through its subsidiaries, serves 2.3 million electric customers and more than 900,000 natural gas customers in a 64,000-square-mile area of Missouri and Illinois.
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