Six ATC employees from our De Pere office worked with middle school students to construct a greenhouse on Sept. 26 as part of an outdoor classroom effort at Edison Middle School to help further STEM education.
ATC partnered with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and LEAF (Wisconsin’s K-12 Forestry Education Program) to support the creation of an outdoor classroom at Edison Middle School in Green Bay. ATC selected Edison Middle School for the outdoor classroom because of the school’s commitment to STEM, which fits with our goal to help further STEM education for the next generation of utility professionals including those who are traditionally underrepresented in the energy industry.
Edison Middle School, located on Green Bay’s east side, is Green Bay Area Public School’s largest middle school, not only in terms of student population but also in diversity. Over 70% of the students identify as non-white, with over 50% of the student body identifying as Hispanic or Latino. Over 60% of students come from economically disadvantaged households and over 30% are English language learners.
One of the school’s strengths is its science department, which also supports a robust environmental club. The outdoor classroom has been a vision for the science department at the school for a while, according to eighth-grade science teacher Scott Stromberger. He is leading the outdoor classroom effort and appreciates ATC’s financial and volunteer support, especially how involved and detailed the ATC volunteers were in preparing for the build.
“We had a great time working with the Edison Middle School staff and students building the 8-foot by 12-foot greenhouse. Our team worked over four hours to ensure the greenhouse can be used by middle school students for years to come,” said Logan Brecklin, senior substation engineer. “Several students worked alongside our ATC volunteer group, eagerly seeking to understand details and lend a helping hand.”