The current cohort of Kenan Fellows wrapped up the month of July with a professional development retreat in Raleigh. It was great to see friends and learn all about their summer adventures. We spent much of our time studying nature and applying such scientific principles to our respective disciplines. For example, one area we studied were the trees and wildlife around Lake Raleigh on the campus of NC State University. Every teacher utilized the smartphone apps “iNaturalist” and “Nature’s Notebook” in collecting research as citizen scientists. Being a business teacher I discussed ideas about how to possibly include such activities in my classroom with colleagues. We brainstormed lesson plans in which students could study the trees on our school campus and research how the individual species are used in the state of North Carolina for timber and manufacturing industries – thus applying both science and business.
Lake Raleigh – bird
Lake Raleigh – butterflies
Lake Raleigh – dragonfly
Lake Raleigh – Redbud Tree
We also spent a good deal of time on learning about politics and legislation at the local, state, and national levels. Awareness was raised among the cohort to underscore the importance of us as professional educators to understand the impact of current events and the political process has on our profession and how to advocate for education when needed. One of the most important activities for us Fellows was to research and locate all of our individual representatives at all levels of government and how to contact each one respectively. We also participated in a hands on state budget simulation exercise that was both very fun and educational.
“Reporters” press conference during the budget session
Once the retreat was over, my Kenan summer officially came to a close and I headed off for a brief but highly needed camping trip. I traveled to one of my favorite places on earth, Big Meadows off Skyline Drive within the Shenandoah National Park which is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. The evening of my arrival I took a leisurely hike on one of the same trails I have hiked in the past. To my surprise as I was walking along in the middle of the forest a compound of antennas appeared out of nowhere. I undoubtedly had seen this before but did not recall much about it so I stopped with a peaked curiosity and immediately the information marker caught my eye with its title “Getting to know the air you breathe!”. The site is an air quality monitoring station that has been in existence for decades collecting information used to help improve the quality of life for plants, animals, and humans. One of my primary areas of study this summer at NC State University’s ASSIST Center was the One Health Initiative which shares information among various groups to better the lives of humans, animals, and the environment. The air quality monitoring station at Big Meadows is a real life example of trying to accomplish such goals to learn about the world we live in, our impact on the environment, and how to make the earth a better place for all future generations. My Kenan Fellowship has certainly opened my eyes to the world of science all around me and has helped me learn how to include STEM learning in my business and marketing classroom.
Air Quality Monitoring Station – Big Meadows, VA
Air Quality Monitoring Station – Big Meadows, VA
Big Meadows, VA
Big Meadows, VA
Big Meadows, VA
Big Meadows, VA