St. John Child Development Center teacher Alecia Johnson, left, and West St. John Elementary School Principal Chantell Walker accept River Parishes Education Foundation grants during the Teacher Grants Award Presentation Dec. 1.

RESERVE — St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools educators recently secured grants to continue their education initiatives.

St. John Child Development Center teacher Alecia Johnson won the $1,000 first-place grant for Loving Louisiana 2, a continuation of her program for parent, family and community involvement for which she was also awarded a grant last year.

Loving Louisiana provides a month of activities for prekindergarten students to learn about their state and culminates with a mini-festival for parents and the community celebrating Louisiana.

West St. John Elementary School Principal Chantell accepted the second-place award on behalf of teacher Angela Farnell, whose program will introduce basic coding to students and parents.

Following a coding workshop, parents and students can continue to be involved by attending weekly STEM meetings and competitions. She is also planning a community technology showcase where parents and students can share what they’ve learned.