1. education
2. school

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2015
For More Information:
Kaitlin Rogers 704.348.1972
Discovery Place Education Studio Announces Local Educators
Selected for 2015 STEM Fellows Cohort
Teachers across the Carolinas will participate in three-year science, technology,
engineering and math fellowship
CHARLOTTE – Discovery Place Education Studio has announced the 2015 cohort of its
flagship program STEM Fellows, a three-year fellowship that prepares local teachers for
dynamic, hands-on learning experiences in order to deliver high-impact STEM lessons in the
classroom that prepare students for real world challenges.
With over 70 applications received, 26 educators from North Carolina and South
Carolina were selected for the 2015 STEM Fellows cohort.
“STEM Fellows is not only about increasing STEM content in the classroom, but more
importantly about learning how to engage students in impactful, meaningful conversations
that are relevant in our everyday lives,” said Discovery Place Education Studio Director,
Stephanie Hathaway. “There is an urgent need both locally and nationally to support
teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. Our goal is to equip
them with the right tools, technology and confidence that they need to broaden inquirybased STEM education.”
STEM Fellows is the flagship offering of Discovery Place Education Studio and is
designed to give teachers and educators skills and tools that can be adapted to meet the
needs of their own classrooms. Over the three-year program, participants will move from
learning about STEM content and science education to becoming community problem
solvers and engaging in action-based research in their own classrooms.
The new STEM Fellows were invited to participate in Discovery Place Education
Studio’s first annual Carolinas STEM Conference last Friday, along with 95 other North and
South Carolina educators. The sold out conference promoted active involvement from its
participants by offering hands-on and engaging demonstrations like 3D printing, simple
soldering, circuit art and ocean literacy.
Page 2 – New Discovery Place Education Studio STEM Fellows Cohort Announced
“The number one rule of the conference was that everything had to be fully hands-on
and interactive,” said Education Studio program manager, Doug Thompson, also a former
middle school science teacher. “A lot of resources go into sending teachers to conferences,
so we wanted to build a STEM conference that left teachers feeling completely engaged and
valued as professionals.”
In addition to the conference, STEM Fellows will begin their first year engaging in
immersive experiences that focus on supporting growth in pedagogy, before moving into
field experiences with STEM-based partners and completing a high level research project.
The 2015 Fellows join a network of Discovery Place’s previous Fellows from the past
five years. STEM Fellows participation is by application only. To qualify, applicants must be
full-time educators employed in North Carolina or South Carolina public, private, parochial or
charter schools. School or district-level facilitators working with STEM educators and
employees of informal education institutions (e.g. museums, zoos) are also encouraged to
apply.
For a full list of other professional development and STEM educator classes, visit
educationstudio.org, or call 704.372.6261 x505.
2015-2016 STEM Fellows Cohort:
North Carolina
Carla Billups
Buncombe County Schools
STEM Curriculum Coach
Marie Harris
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
ImaginOn
Pamela Weghorst
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Ardrey Kell High School
Nancy Betler
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Eastover Elementary School
Ted Miracle
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Endhaven Elementary
Rebecca Grgurina
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Kennedy Middle
Jillian Whurr
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
River Oaks Academy
Kenyatta Davenport
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Thomasboro Academy
Kelly Autry
Crossnore, NC - Private School
Williams Academy
Jessica Mains
Crossnore, NC - Private School
Williams Academy
Stephanie Patton
Henderson County Public Schools
Fletcher Elementary School
Page 3 – New Discovery Place Education Studio STEM Fellows Cohort Announced
Meredith Katz
Kannapolis City Schools
Kannapolis Intermediate School
Amy Minton
Kannapolis City Schools
Kannapolis Middle School
Renee Jewell
Newton-Conover City Schools
Newton-Conover Middle School
Elizabeth McNamara
NCAIS – Independent Schools
Gaston Day School
Carrie Hoke
NC Public Charter School
Pine Lake Preparatory (Mooresville)
Jennifer Clarke
NC Public Charter School
Pine Lake Preparatory (Mooresville)
George Latzos
NC Public Charter School
Socrates Academy (Matthews)
Kerri Edwards
Union County Public Schools
Marshville Elementary School
Amy Grzybowski
Union County Public Schools
Porter Ridge High School
Andrea Savill
Union County Public Schools
Walter Bickett Elementary School
Melissa Schug
Wake County Public Schools
Wakefield High school
Maggie Caldwell
Winston Salem/Forsyth County Schools
Clemmons Elementary
South Carolina
Adrienne Sanders
Fort Mill School
Gold Hill Elementary School
Megan McNinch
Fort Mill Schools
Sugar Creek Elementary
Ashlee Buchanan
Richland Two School District
Longleaf Middle School
About Discovery Place Education Studio
Discovery Place Education Studio is a professional development program serving pre
K-12 educators from schools, museums, science centers, zoos and aquariums. The Education
Studio will provide ongoing professional development in science, technology, engineering
and math to educators throughout the Southeast. It is the first WestEd Making Sense of
SCIENCE professional development partner on East Coast.
The Education Studio is uniquely located adjacent to Discovery Place at Bank of
America STEM Center for Career Development. Convenient parking is available in Discovery
Place’s parking deck – the Carol Grotnes Belk Complex – at the corner of Sixth and Church
Streets. For more information, visit educationstudio.org or call 704.372.6261 x 505.
Page 4 – New Discovery Place Education Studio STEM Fellows Cohort Announced
Discovery Place, Inc. owns and operates Discovery Place, Charlotte Nature Museum,
Discovery Place KIDS in Huntersville and Rockingham and is supported, in part, with funding
from the Arts & Science Council.
###