Saunders Science Scholars (Morehead Planetarium and Science Center) in collaboration with Gates County Community Partnership recently donated science supplies to Gates County Schools. This collection is valued at approximately $14,000. The materials were initially intended for 2020 summer programming that was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. “We are always excited to work with Gates County Schools to assist in STEM education,” emphasized Crystal Harden, Director of Program and Inclusion Initiatives, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. “We did something similar last year but this donation is at a different scale. As always, we appreciate the efforts of Gates County Community Partnership and Gates County Schools for facilitating this endeavor.”
All five county schools will receive materials from the donation. The gift includes instructional resources, curricula and professional development from Morehead, which guarantee the effective use of the items. A goal is to have teachers create science kits that can be used at home or in school. “It is fulfilling to be able to assist efforts to give back to our community in a mission related purpose. We genuinely appreciate the opportunity to work with Morehead Planetarium and Science Center on this project. Our alliance is strong,” said Brian Rountree, Vice President of Gates County Community Partnership.
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center is entrenched in Gates County and committed to the educational uplift of its students. They also deliver extended outreach through mobile programs that include Science Tailgate, Mobile Planetarium, Morehead in Motion and NC Science Festival.
“Gates County Schools truly appreciates the generous contribution of science supplies donated to our schools by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center at UNC-Chapel Hill in conjunction with Gates County Community Partnership. As a public school system, we are grateful for the generosity of donors who provide supplemental materials for our students to enhance and enrich our instructional delivery. As educators, parents and community members we are well aware of the positive impact hands-on learning makes with our students. They are able to see and feel science come to life and the supplies provided by MPSC and GCCP create the opportunity for this experience to occur more frequently in the classroom,” stated Dr. Barry Williams, Superintendent of Schools, Gates County. “With the generosity of Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and Gates County Community Partnership, we have the ability to provide students with an optimal science learning experience. We look forward to utilizing the supplies to make science come to life.”
Gates County Community Partnership is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt public charity whose mission is to inspire and increase community engagement by the citizens of Gates County for the educational and social development of its youth.
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center is a unit of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The Morehead Building houses the GSK Fulldome Theater, Science Stage, exhibits and Morehead classrooms. Nearly 160,000 people visit the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center annually, including 85,000 schoolchildren.