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AP chemistry students at Andrews High School have received $800 for greenway projects from the American Chemical Society.

Chemistry teacher Kathy Melious divided the class into four groups of four students for yearlong environmental projects along the High Point Greenway and told them they would need to help write grants to get equipment for their projects.

Melious and graduate student Mary Beth Morgan wrote additional grants. The group collected more than $7,000, including the student’s $800.

“The novel part to this is kids wrote the grant themselves (for equipment) they needed for their projects,” Melious said. “It was a student-centered, self-directed project.”

Melious said she wanted to give students the experience of directing and funding their own projects because many will head into science fields in college, and writing grants for funding will be a large part of what they will do. At the end of the year, students will defend a thesis in front of UNCG faculty — something else they’ll face in college.

“It’s a fact of life. It’s the way things go,” Melious said. “They’ll have a year worth of field experience and will have gone before a panel to defend their work.”

The students also will take their research and educate the community about its impact on the greenway’s environment and the city’s water quality.

Besides research, students are cleaning up the creek by the greenway and doing landscaping around the school.

“This is a very ambitious group,” Melious said. “They’ve already recruited other clubs to help. They’re very good at delegating. They are very impressive children from anyone’s standards.”

“I’m very proud and very excited,” Principal Rodney Wilds said of the students’ work. “Any time students take initiative to go above the call of duty, especially for a project that is so vital to the environment, such as cleaning the greenway, it brings pride and joy not only to the students but to the entire school.”

Melious said she was not surprised the group received the grants. “There were very well-written grants,” she said. “Nothing surprises me with this group of kids.”

Contact E.A. Seagraves at 883-4422, Ext. 241, or elizabeth. seagraves@news-record.com