Isabella High School teacher Jay LeCroy has been working to make his science class one of the best that has ever come through the school.

During the year he has worked on getting the school funding for the math and science departments. He has been able to get enough funding to become part of the Water Watchers Program, and now he has helped to put Isabella on the map again with the Girls Engaged in Math and Science (GEMS) program.

“Earlier this year I wrote to Sen. Hank Erwin and talked to him about our programs and upcoming events. He presented us with a grant that allowed us to buy new equipment and also to pay for the transportation to have our girls participate in away events,” LeCroy said.

The GEMS program is a statewide project proposal, designed to develop and disseminate high quality materials and training resources from a panel of elite, award-winning Alabama educators hosted by the Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX), a nationally-recognized state web portal for teachers, students and parents.

Through the GEMS program, girls learn 21st century math and science, which they can use to create new technology for the future.

“I think the GEMS program has been really good for my students, and I am hoping that I can keep the program connected with the school,” LeCroy said.

Only 100 proposals are accepted to be part of the program’s showcase.

Isabella students prepared and sent in their own proposal, and it was picked to be part of the 100 showcases that will be in an exhibition at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex today. The location of the exhibit will be located in the BJCC/East Hall on the third floor in rooms H-J from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Isabella students on the GEMS team said that although it was hard to come up with everything on their own and having to work together to get everything done on time, they are proud everything worked out the way it did since they got accepted to be part of the showcase.