April 19, 2024 – Gibson Elementary School and Walkertown Elementary School welcomed families to their campuses on Thursday night to celebrate STEM with Duke Energy Science Night.
Using funding from the Duke Energy Foundation, the North Carolina Science Festival has been organizing Duke Energy Science Nights for the past 13 years. Schools apply to be part of the program and, if selected, receive a kit with approximately 10 hands-on activities relating to science, technology, engineering, and math. Those activities are set up all over the school and students are able to bring their families to experience scientific principles in action together. The energetic atmosphere of the program makes science fun and exciting for the whole family.
“It builds such an appreciation for science,” said Molly Tuttle, a second grade science teacher at Gibson. “A lot of people are kind of scared of science because it’s all about the unknown, but this makes it fun for them.”
This year’s science night was packed with interesting activities. Students and their families tested aerodynamics with ring gliders, learned about the science of buoyancy with handmade boats, analyzed surface tensions by blowing giant bubbles, sent air-powered rockets flying high into the sky, and much more. With such a wide array of materials to experiment with, there was something to catch anybody’s attention.
“I’m still working my way through everything, but so far, this is really fun,” said Second Grader Haylie Stephens.
Duke Energy Science Night is a testament to the power of strong community partnerships in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. Not only was this night of fun and community made possible by funding from NC SciFest, but it also relied on local volunteers lending help with setting up and netting extra supplies. One parent at Walkertown even went above and beyond by building a blow-up planetarium to help students get a better sense of the nighttime sky. Any time the community shows up to support deeper learning, the results are always stellar.
“Our parents are so wonderful and supportive,” said Walkertown Science Teacher Pam Haskins. “Just looking at our kids and what a good time they’re having, we’re truly blessed."