By Jeannine Kelley
The solar eclipse didn’t disappoint if the Trinity Christian School students’ reactions were any indication.
Fourth grader Anna Lohmann, her face raised to the sky and half-covered by solar glasses fastened to a paper plate, expressed unmistakable wonder. “That is so cool,” she said repeatedly.
Her reaction wasn’t unique. The awe and excitement continued as students of all ages took their turns using the protective eyewear to take in the sight of the moon shadowing the sun. The faculty at Trinity used the event to kick off a year focused on STEM education. Dr. Lois Campbell, STEM specialist at Trinity, is spearheading the effort.
Trinity students watch the eclipse together. Photo by Kimber Morgan.
“By having students involved in STEM, I’m hoping they make connections across the curriculum not only in math and science but also through literature and history,” says Campbell. “I want them to be able to develop their minds to be innovators, be able to work in teams and be able to solve problems.”
She’s not alone in her enthusiasm. The faculty is working together to integrate the STEM emphasis across disciplines while tying it together with the annual spiritual theme of be strong and courageous.
For example, the English department will have students in fifth-12th grade read “Hidden Figures.” The book by Margot Lee Shetterly focuses on the African-American women instrumental to the 1940s-1960s space race and is the 2017-18 West Virginia University (WVU) Campus Read. Two of the extraordinary mathematicians featured in the book, Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughn, have ties to West Virginia. Johnson is a distinguished alumnus of West Virginia State University, and Vaughn spent her youth in Morgantown.
As a highlight to the academic year, the school will host astronaut Jerry Ross in January in cooperation with WVU.
“I’m excited that my students will have the chance to meet and interact with an astronaut, thus allowing our school to tie his firsthand experiences into our STEM focus for this year,” says Campbell. “It truly is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
To continue the yearlong momentum, the school will host space and science nights featuring the NASA Star Lab and telescope watches for K-12 students. The year will round out with robotics and coding for the elementary students and a science research competition for fifth-12th grade.
The commitment to further inspire students to explore their world through science, technology, engineering and math extends beyond this school year. The school launched a new science program called Full Option Science System, or FOSS, which will allow for hands-on, minds-on science curriculum that incorporates a variety of STEM topics, including gravity, kinetic energy and earth and space science.
About the Author
Jeannine Kelley is the director of school advancement at Trinity Christian School in Morgantown, WV.
