West Virginia State University 4-H Brings STEAM Programs to Logan County Schools

2/28/2020

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Contact: Jack Bailey
(304) 766-4109
jbaile19@wvstateu.edu
     
INSTITUTE, W.Va. – Students in Logan County are learning about science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) through programming conducted by the 4-H division of West Virginia State University (WVSU) Extension Service.
 
The Logan STEAM program has provided hands-on instruction and activities to more than 800 students in multiple elementary schools, middle schools and libraries throughout the county since its inception in 2018. 

Students are participating in hands-on activities and instruction relating to science, technology, astronomy and even dinosaurs, among other topics. An extension agent visits classrooms on a monthly basis, spanning pre-k to middle school students at six area schools. After-school and weekend activities have also been conducted in two local libraries.

“The reception to this type of instruction in Logan County has been overwhelmingly positive,” said WVSU 4-H Extension Agent Tabitha Surface, who leads the Logan STEAM program. “The students, as well as the teachers and administrators, are excited to participate and learn, and the partnerships we’re developing have been some of the best we’ve had for our program efforts.”

“Living in rural West Virginia and being two hours away from Charleston, three from Huntington, and even farther from other major cities in West Virginia, Tabitha is able to bring science, art, and technology to life within our school building,” said South Man Elementary School Principal Angel Harris. “The majority of our students come from low income homes, so they are not provided the exposure to museums and science centers. This program has provided some of these opportunities to extend learning beyond our basic curriculum.”     

In addition to South Man Elementary School, additional schools and libraries participating in the Logan STEAM program include Holden Central Elementary School, Justice Elementary School, Logan Elementary School, Man Middle School, Buffalo Creek Public Library and Logan Area Public Library.

Several parents and even area high school students have stepped up to volunteer with the program, Surface said. 

“To provide programs to 800 kids as one extension agent can be a bit daunting,” she said, “but the teachers, parents and high school students who have come out to volunteer have really helped us provide this much-needed information to as many kids as possible.”

The program began last winter through funding provided by Encova Insurance, formerly BrickStreet Insurance. Funding exists to continue the program through the current school year, and organizers are seeking additional funds to keep the program going. To learn more, contact Surface at tabitha.surface@wvstateu.edu.

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West Virginia State University is a public, land grant, historically black university, which has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated, and multi‐generational institution, located in Institute, W.Va. As a “living laboratory of human relations,” the university is a community of students, staff, and faculty committed to academic growth, service and preservation of the racial and cultural diversity of the institution. Its mission is to meet the higher education and economic development needs of the state and region through innovative teaching and applied research.