Did You Know?!  Au Gres-Sims has a WeatherBug meteorological station on campus!

Au Gres-Sims Joins the WeatherBug® Schools Network

Au Gres-Sims’ new WeatherBug station to enhance student education and provide live, local weather conditions to the surrounding community

August 17, 2015

AU GRES, MI and Germantown, MD – WeatherBug® (www.weatherbug.com), the operator of the largest global weather observation and lightning detection network, announced today that the Au Gres-Sims School District in Au Gres, Michigan has joined the WeatherBug Schools Program.  The school has installed a new WeatherBug weather station and lightning sensor.  Data from the weather station will be used to enhance the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) school curriculum through the WeatherBug Achieve web-based curriculum.   The station will also provide weather data for meteorological teams at WNEM TV 5, and news stations across the country, to broadcast online and on-air.   And finally, the advanced lightning sensor technology will provide school officials advanced alerts when severe weather is approaching.

Bringing the WeatherBug Schools Program to the school district was part of a collaborative effort of engaged educators who comprise a STEM curriculum overlay committee at Au Gres-Sims, including Jeffrey Collier (Superintendent), Chad Zeien (K-12 Principal), Jodi Bilacic (elementary science teacher), Michael Fields (elementary science teacher), and Tracy Stoldt (secondary science teacher).  Funding for the WeatherBug station was made possible through a generous grant by the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe.

This program will enable K-12 students at Au Gres-Sims to more effectively understand the science of meteorology as one of four distinct pillars of the district’s new STEM curriculum overlay.  Actively modeling new instructional STEM strategies focused on experiential, hands-on learning, educators at Au Gres-Sims will use the WeatherBug system along with Water Quality Studies, Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs), and Schoolyard Habitats as foundational pillars of enhanced STEM instruction in coordination with existing science standards.     

“Having an active weather station on campus at Au Gres-Sims will positively amplify every aspect of our educational programming,” said Tracy Stoldt, science instructor at Au Gres-Sims.  “We are excited to bring a WeatherBug weather station to our schools because it will not only make science practical in the lives of our students, but it is going to provide relevant instruction on a personalized aspect at a local level for place-based education.”

Au Gres-Sims Principal, Chad Zeien added, “This weather station and software from WeatherBug will give members of the greater Au Gres community the opportunity to further their knowledge about weather and climate by using current technological tools.  The advanced warning of lightning and severe weather helps us to make critical decisions with regard to the safety of our students during athletic events, transportation, and other outdoor activities.”

The WeatherBug media partner in Saginaw, Michigan, WNEM TV 5, leverages the WeatherBug national network of tracking stations to offer Saginaw Bay area residents the most local, up-to-the-second weather information available in Au Gres and throughout the country.  Now, WNEM TV 5 will also be able to feature neighborhood-level reports from the campus of Au Gres-Sims during its daily newscasts on-air and online. 

“WeatherBug was founded by the desire to advance STEM education by leveraging the data collected and analyzed by our weather observation network, so we are excited to welcome the students and faculty of the Au Gres-Sims School District in Au Gres, Michigan, as the newest members of the WeatherBug Schools Program,” said Frank McCathran, Director of WeatherBug Education.  “WNEM TV 5 is a strong media partner and we are delighted that a new school in the area is able to provide local weather information.”

The WeatherBug Schools Program is committed to helping protect schools and provide an engaging teaching tool for students nationwide. The WeatherBug interactive software program, WeatherBug Achieve, enables teachers to apply real-world conditions to help teach skills and concepts in math, science and geography.  K-12 teachers and students have access to local weather conditions from any of the 10,000 WeatherBug sites across the country. Using WeatherBug Achieve, teachers can also create customized learning activities based on current and historical weather conditions from the WeatherBug stations and cameras located at the schools.

For more information on the WeatherBug Schools Program, visit www.weatherbugschools.com.

About WeatherBug

Millions rely on WeatherBug's apps and website for the best forecasts, the fastest alerts, and more.  Their sensors, deployed at thousands of schools, major sports stadiums, broadcast TV stations and public safety facilities, put the power of the largest commercial-grade weather network at your fingertips.  Their exclusive SparkTM feature is the only tool that puts minute-by-minute, mile-by-mile lightning detection in the palm of your hand on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device.  WeatherBug is operated by Earth Networks.  Learn more at www.earthnetworks.com.

Media Contact: Brian Lustig  Phone: 202.469.3608  Email: brian@bluetext.com