July 2021

The Washington Local Schools Foundation was recently established in early January in response to a comprehensive assessment completed in 2020. This assessment gathered the thoughts and ideas of stakeholders including graduates, former and current employees, business partners, and other foundations on what the successful establishment of a foundation should look like.

The school board, along with Superintendent Kadee Anstadt, stated the mission of the foundation connects Panther Nation with philanthropic opportunities to provide the resources needed for all students to excel inside and outside of the classroom through innovative and extraordinary experiences. A partnership with ProMedica was also announced with a gift to upgrade Whitmer High School’s Career Tech Center. Medical-technology students will be able to explore the insides of the human body using an Anatomage table, a device resembling a giant tablet that is also equipped with quizzes and virtual cadavers. 

For more information on Washington Local Schools Career Tech Center, please visit: https://www.wls4kids.org/

Teachers in the Trees!

An Ohio Project Learning Tree 40-Year Celebration Workshop

September 14, 2021
4-8 pm Oak Openings Tree House Village
Cost $10

Registration Required at: https://web1.myvscloud.com/wbwsc/ohmetroparkstoledowt.wsc/search.html?display=detail&FMID=12107408&Module=AR

In celebration of 40 years of Ohio Project Learning Tree, formal and non-formal educators alike have some fun while learning new ways to teach hands-on environmental activities – all while immersed in nature, up in the trees, at the new Cannaley Treehouse Village. Ohio Project Learning Tree Board members will help facilitate this workshop, and participants each take home the award-winning, newly updated Project Learning Tree Curriculum Guide and other useful resources, compliments of Ohio Project Learning Tree.

Refreshments will be provided, but please pack a picnic meal to enjoy as a part of the workshop.

Girls Who Code Virtual Summer Immersion Program

This year, Girls who Code is teaching thousands of girls the computer science skills needed to make an impact in their community at the same time they’re preparing for a career in technology. 

Every year, participants complete projects such as activist toolkits that address mental health in the Black community and LGBTQ homelessness to fun while making lifelong sisters in the process.

Please see: https://girlswhocode.com/programs/summer-immersion-program

NASA STEM Engagement

NASA is currently accepting registrations for NASA STEM Kids Virtual Event- Mission to Mars, which will be held on August 28. Click here to register. Mission to Mars is designed to inspire students' interest in STEM fields. The virtual event features Mars exploration, conversations with NASA experts, a hands-on STEM activity, and a tour of a NASA Glenn facility.

Information about this event and other inspiring educational opportunities are available on NASA Glenn’s STEM Engagement web page.

For questions please contact GRC-Ed-Opportunities@mail.nasa.gov.

Ohio STEM Learning Network online STEM book study

August 2 @ 8:00 am - October 4 @ 5:00 pm

Central Ohio STEM Action Center and OSLN present this free, flexible, asynchronous, 4-week online course, where participants will examine practical strategies while examining one’s own teaching materials and how they relate to culture and learning in the classroom. Course participants will examine how science education can flourish if it is connected to students’ backgrounds, identities, language, and culture. The course will include a discussion board and lesson/curriculum planning.

Please see: https://osln.org/event/book-study-science-in-the-city-culturally-relevant-stem/

ChickQuest workshop

September 15 @ 8:30 am - 4:00 pm

Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center
2201 Fred Taylor Drive
Columbus, 43210

Challenge students to use Science, Engineering, and Technology to investigate the life cycle of an embryonic chicken egg! ChickQuest, a Classroom Journey Through the Life Cycle of Chickens, is a 4-H School Enrichment Program that challenges students to use Science, Engineering, and Technology to investigate the life cycle of an embryonic chicken egg. From monitoring living eggs to observing fluffy chicks, these lively activities pique curiosity, encourage collaboration and communication, and provide young scientists with unforgettable experiences.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chickquest-workshop-91521-tickets-151080683391

NASA Express

Watch astronauts answer student questions

Tune in live to watch in-flight education downlinks between students on Earth and astronauts orbiting 250 miles above. Students will ask questions of NASA astronauts living and working on the International Space Station.

In-flight education downlinks are opportunities for students and educators to interact with astronauts aboard the International Space Station during a live, 20-minute question-and-answer session. The planning guide offers information about the process and requirements to host an In-flight Education downlink.

https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/stem-on-station/downlinks.html