Sierra Nevada Journeys’ Road Trip Delivered Science to Rural Nevada
To support our afterschool educators, we acquired a new AWD Toyota Sienna Hybrid, ensuring reliable transportation for the education team. Our heartfelt appreciation goes to Claggett & Sykes Law Firm, Dolan Auto Group, and a Nevada-based foundation that champions education and community services, for their assistance in purchasing the new van.
Our educators journeyed to the William N. Pennington Fallon Youth Center twice a week, traversing a total of 125 miles for each lesson. Thanks to our reliable transportation, we taught 143 students last fall and delivered engaging, hands-on STEM lessons. District data reveals that 70 percent of students in the Fallon area qualify for the Free and Reduced Lunch Program, 11 percent are multilingual learners, and 41 percent are BIPOC. We look forward to expanding our reach in Northern Nevada rural communities.
As part of our Afterschool STEM Explorers program, Fallon Youth Club students participated in a variety of hands-on lessons including Ice Cream Computer Coding, making recycled paper, conducting a forensics investigation, and participating in wildlife lessons on jays and chickadees.
“The students eagerly anticipate our programming each week and were keen to participate. Our van is so recognizable that they spot it from the parking lot and rush over to greet us. ”