Historic Home Offers Present-Day Education Opportunities to West Virginia Children

By Dr. Heather Biola

In a 2016 study by Wallethub.com, West Virginia ranked 45th in the nation on quality of education. According to the Economic Policy Institute, states where the work force is more educated have higher incomes and better production.

The Kump Education Center (KEC), a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, offers educational opportunities for teachers and students in Randolph County schools during the school year and for local children at the historic Kump House during the summer. Previously the home of Governor H.G. Kump, the historic house was given to the City of Elkins in 2008 after the death of his last surviving daughter, Mary. Her will directed that the house should be used “to promote educational purposes.”

The KEC board is planning another exciting year filled with fun learning activities. The STREAM program offers learning experiences in science, technology, reading, engineering, art and mathematics. In January, students at Homestead Elementary, North Elementary and Elkins Middle schools were programing NASA robots to maneuver mazes, using sensors to avoid hazards and employing a claw arm to place a ball in a box. In the next few months, students will help build simple dulcimers and learn tunes in addition to their regular efforts to meet personal goals for better attendance, behavior and grades.

Once again, this summer YMCA day campers will enjoy science activities such as wetland water monitoring with test tubes and thermometers, flower pollination simulations as if by honey bees and butterflies and computer programming to control NASA robots. The Girl Scouts may meet again in the community garden pumpkin patch, and high school students will debate another current issue in the multiuse classroom. KEC board members are also considering a summer concert series on the lawn.

If school choice becomes a new priority in West Virginia, Kump Education Center has consulting personnel available who could help public and private schools organize by creating responsible charters and developing credible curriculum goals and objectives.

The Kump Education Center is supported entirely by contributions and grants. The building is currently in need of upgraded electrical services and heat in order to be open year-round. The KEC board is constantly seeking ways to make all the utilities more efficient and safe for 21st century students and their educational technologies in order to continue building West Virginia’s educational future.

About the Author

Dr. Heather Biola is the executive director of the Kump Education Center (KEC). A pioneer of project-based learning, she encouraged future teachers to use this learning method during her time in the education department at Davis & Elkins College, and she enjoys helping kids engage in project-based learning at the KEC. Her teaching experience includes gifted program discovery classes, college composition and AP English. Biola holds a bachelor’s degree in English, a master’s in English Literature and a Ph.D. in English education.