By Adam Studzinski

BLOOMINGTON – An Evans Jr. High School teacher found out Thursday afternoon his project proposal is the winner of this year’s Beyond the Books Educational Foundation $10,000 Beyond the Box Grant.

Physical education teacher Michael Jennings was one of 100 teachers in the Twin Cities area who submitted applications for the grant. The funding will help Jennings put a rock climbing wall in the school.

“The department and I worked extremely hard for a lot of time, a lot of hours, trying to get it,” said Jennings. “Pumped is about as good as I can get. I’m thrilled. I’m beyond pleased with how hard the department’s worked, and I’m very grateful for the foundation that put this together and did this for us.”

The grant is funded by the Shirk Family Foundation. Jennings explained how he got the idea for a rock climbing wall.

“We as a P.E. department are always for ways to think outside the box and offer students an opportunity at something that they might not have at home,” said Jennings, “Obviously, P.E. is kind of cliché with soccer, and football, and basketball and we want to be outside the box.”

Local climbers and employees from Upper Limits will collaborate for the project. Jennings hoped to have the wall ready to climb by August.

“We have the space laid out for it. We have also been in contact with a company that does modular panels that is kind of just waiting for us,” he said.

Beyond the Books is also providing $43,799 in funding to 36 other projects for the 2015-2016 school year.

Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].