S.T.E.M.

What do you do on a cold Saturday morning? LEARN! These Mountain View Intermediate School teachers spent last Saturday morning learning from Christy Bredenkamp, Macon County Extension Director, about Shitake mushrooms and how to grow them! The group was able to inoculate two logs each with the fungus in hopes we can produce a crop this coming Fall and into the future. The logs were all donated to the Outdoor Explorations class at Mountain View. Students will be able to learn about the process of growing Shitake mushrooms, the importance of fungi in an ecosystem, and some of the economic benefits. Check out these other classes through our local NC Cooperative Extension (https://macon.ces.ncsu.edu/events/).

Students in Mr. Byrne's Biology classes had a chance to visit the Highlands Biological Station and participate in a microscope lab using the research lab. Students learned about current research taking place at the station, which is part of the Western Carolina University campus. Mr. Jason Love shared some of the microplastic research taking place on the plateau and the students had a chance to tour the botanical garden. Thank you to the Highlands Biological Foundation for providing the funding to make this trip possible! Great things are happening in our own backyard!

Hi, You are invited to the WNC Environmental Summit on Saturday, March 23rd, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. at the Haywood Community College auditorium. This event is open to adult and student participants and will provide educational opportunities for regional groups to come together, share ideas, encourage each other, and take action to make a difference. Registration is now open! The Design This event is designed to connect like-minded, like-spirited people to each other and to connect people to place, and to inspire community action to protect precious WNC backyard ecosystems. The work is to inspire HOPE and conservation through action. This is closely tied with the vision: 1) to teach science through the lens of culture, 2) to provide meaningful and fun learning opportunities for youth and adults, and 3) to inspire discussion and the desire to learn more! Theme Native health expert Dr. Lisa Lefler will start our discussion on environmental hope and action. Participants will learn from the keynote speaker and indigenous expert, Tommy Cabe, EBCI Tribal Forester, how connecting to place is vital to conserve our unique, biodiverse ecosystem and how equity is critical for working across the region in communities. Additionally, panel presentations and Youth Action Labs will continue conversations on traditional ecological knowledge, equity, and provide ways to take action and develop leadership skills to address environmental threats. Join Us in Teaching This conference aims to empower voice and leadership! Indigenous voices and student volunteers will teach, guide, and facilitate others. If you would like to volunteer to lead, please let us know! Here are some examples and pictures of how students can be involved. Teach a poster session on indigenous voices, traditional ecological knowledge, environmental science, or ways to volunteer to take action. Record a video clip to show at the event. Develop a hands-on lab to teach science with a “one-liner.” Communicate science through marketing, art, and public speaking! Registration is free for adults and students. Lunch for Students is FREE! Read more about the event and register here.

Thank you to the Franklin Daybreak Rotary Club for their support of the Macon Bots Robotics Team! Several members of the club came to present our team with a check for $3600 and share a little about the Rotary Club and their work in our community. These funds will be used to support the team with needed equipment, T-shirts, and funds for field trips. Thank you so much for your support of these amazing young people! From Left to Right front row: Chase Plank (FHS), Frederick Bengtson (FHS), Joseph Hammaker (MEC), Parker Wilken (private), Quinnlyn Siple (MMS), Aiva Ashe (MEC), Olivia Sheridan (MMS) Back Row: Lucas McConnell (FHS), Josiah Green (FHS), Billy Black (Rotary), Maya Partain (MMS), Elizabeth Cook (FHS), Ben Rodriguez (Rotary), Evan Roush (homeschool), Mason Schulte (FHS), Lucas Wright (MMS), Ethan Loftin (MMS) Not pictured: Kairi Cicman (MEC), Eleanor Kessler (MMS), Hailey Brown (MEC), Jennifer Love (Coach/STEM Coordinator), Bryan Wilkinson (STEM Educator MMS), Bob Vitale (community mentor)

Students on the Macon Bots Robotics Team had the opportunity to cheer on and learn from the FIRST Tech Challenge teams during their 2024 competition. The team traveled to Fountain Inn, SC for the Qualifying matches. The Macon Bots Robotics program is open to 7th - 12th grade students. For more information about the program, please contact STEM Coordinator, Jennifer Love.

Thank you to Corbin Dental (https://corbindentalcare.com) and Matt Corbin for donating a Mavic Mini drone to our Macon Middle School STEM program. This is a professional drone that will give our students valuable hands-on experience. Students in Mr. Wilkinson's STEM classes have the opportunity to learn how to fly different types of drones, learn about career applications, and produce their own drone photography videos. The Macon STEM Program appreciates the support of our community. Thank you Corbin Dental for investing in our students!

Science in the outdoors! Mountain View Intermediate School students who are currently participating in the Outdoor Explorations class had the opportunity to get outside and learn about the weather during a recently foggy morning. Thank you again to the Go Outdoors NC grant that helped provide materials such as expedition backpacks filled with equipment!@GoOutsideNC

It is never too early to start learning about coding and robotics! These East Franklin Elementary students in Mrs. Baldwin's class are computer scientists in training! They are learning about coding through storytelling and mathematics using BeeBots!

From the NC School for Science and Math - Hi! We are excited to share that the Summer Accelerator residential program, sponsored by the Dogwood Health Trust, is open for applications! We have two courses for rising 7th - 9th grade students and two courses for rising 10th - 12th grade students. We have openings for 60 middle and high school students to stay on our NCSSM-Morganton campus during the week of July 21-26th and take one of these summer courses. This free opportunity is only available to students in the Dogwood Health Trust area. You MUST live in one of these 18 counties in the Dogwood Health Trust area: Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, and Yancey, as well as the Qualla Boundary. The application process is competitive. We would love to have all 19 areas represented. The student's room, food, courses, supplies, and field trips will be covered by the grant. They just need to get to Morganton on July 21 and be picked up on July 26th. I've attached a flier. The application deadline is March 15, 2024, and finalists will be notified before April 1st. We will host an information session via Zoom on February 20, 2024 at 7 pm. Please sign up here if you are interested in attending.

NC FLIGHT CREW LEADERSHIP & TEAM BUILDING SUMMIT The NC Flight Crew is a pioneering statewide STEM initiative dedicated to fostering leadership and innovation among students. Designed for girls in grades 6-12, this transformative program takes participants on a year-long journey filled with unique STEM experiences, skill-building opportunities, and impactful community engagement. The NC Flight Crew aims to inspire a new generation of women in STEM, equipping them with the skills and knowledge required to be a STEM ambassador to their communities. Most recently the NC Flight Crew gathered in Raleigh, NC to work on their communication and leadership skills, learn how to present a STEM activity, and to plan out their goals for the remainder of the program!

We are getting ready for SUMMER FUN! The Macon STEM Program is partnering with Muddy Sneakers to provide two summer camps this coming June 2024. See the flyer for more information and register using the QR Code or this link www.bit.ly/Maconsummercamp.

Thank you to Rob from Outdoor 76 for speaking to our Macon Outdoor Club at our last meeting. Students learned about different types of outdoor gear that can keep you warm and dry. We also learned about how to use different kinds of cooking stoves. We love working with our community partners and appreciate it when they take the time to share their expertise with our students! @GoOutsideNC

Macon Outdoor Club will not meet on Saturday, Jan. 27th for their winter hike due to the rainy weather and the possibility of thunderstorms.

Thank you to WCU's Environmental Education in the Parks and Rec Dept. students who came and presented their science lessons to our 5th and 6th-grade students at Mountain View! Students dissected flowers, learned about states of matter by making ice cream, and played food web simulation games. The students did a fantastic job! Thank you also to the teachers who welcomed these developing teachers into their classrooms. We love our partnerships with Western Carolina University!

Rangers from the Nantahala District of the US Forest Service visited the 6th grade at Mountain View Intermediate School as part of the NEEF (National Environmental Education Foundation) grant project. Students learned about the different responsibilities of the US Forest Service such as forest products, food resources, recreation, and wildlife habitat. They then had to rank which one they valued the most or felt was the most important. This was challenging because many students had different opinions. A big part of the program was learning to come to a consensus as a group and recognizing that we all have different values. Funding from this grant will support not only field trips for the students but also professional development for teachers in the Spring.

The Macon Outdoor Club had a great day rock climbing at the Riveter in Asheville! We started the morning with a soggy visit to the Western Carolina Nature Center and then tested our strength and overcame our fear of heights in the climbing gym! Thank you to the NC Youth Engagement Commission for supporting this program with funding! @GoOutsideNC

@GoOutsideNC Thank you to the NC Youth Engagement Commission for grant funding support for our Outdoor Explorations class at Mountain View Intermediate School. Funds are being used to construct a nature trail (completion date in February 2024), outdoor seating, and materials for the class such as wildlife cameras and magnifying equipment, and animal tracking kits. Funds were also used to purchase backpacks for nature exploration kits and camp chairs so students could sit without getting wet and cold! They used these this week for their bird-watching class! Look for more pictures coming soon!

Students learned about knot tying in the Mountain View Intermediate School Outdoor Explorations class. There are several important knots to know if you are going to be outdoors from hanging a tarp to safety knots while rock climbing. Student had the opportunity to practice different types of knots and learn their different applications!

Students in Mrs. Hubbs's Honors Biology class at Franklin High School and Mr. Holmes's Physical Science class at Highlands School were visited by UNC-Chapel Hill students participating in the Highlands Biological Station Institute for the Environment program today. They presented the Capstone research projects they have been working on this semester. These presentations are part of their "Communicating Science to the Public" course. The public will have an opportunity to see these presentations at the Highlands Biological Station on Dec. 14th.

Highlands teachers went virtual at their last faculty meeting. Using their Class VR goggles purchased with the support of AHEC, teachers had the opportunity to learn how to engage students in a new way through virtual reality. They viewed a shark encounter, climbed Mt. Everest, and took a hot air balloon ride. They also had a chance to view a human heart, a carbon atom, and a Grand Canyon topographic model. Thank you to AHEC for supporting our schools with these innovative programs!