Weekly Media Roundup: June 15, 2016

Nutritional Project Sows Seeds of Learning (Times Record News, Texas)

More than 50 members of the Boys & Girls Club explored Morath Orchard and learned about healthy food as part of the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank’s “Grow Health, Grow Strong” program last week. The students participated in a number of activities focused on vegetables and healthy eating, including relay races and arts and crafts. They also got to harvest, clean and snack on carrots from the orchard. “It’s a great way to introduce kids to where healthy food comes from,” Wichita Falls Area Food Bank nutrition services director Jessica Bachman told the Times Record News.

Lessons for Beating the Learning Gap (Daily Astorian, Oregon)

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden advocates for summer learning programs to help low-income students overcome the achievement gap in the Daily Astorian: “The sad truth is that the lack of access to learning programs for underprivileged kids in the summer widens the achievement gap between those students and their higher-income classmates…. As parents, community leaders, educators and policymakers, we must provide every resource possible to bridge that gap for disadvantaged and low-income students…. This year I hope to see even more communities come out and support our students by hosting summer learning activities.”

Everest Young Entrepreneurs Leave the Nest (Wausau Daily Herald, Wisconsin)

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy at the D.C. Everest Area School District gave 13 students the entrepreneurial skills to create their own business ventures this year. Through the afterschool program, students learned to develop a business, keep a budget and market their product to customers. The young entrepreneurs toured local companies and were mentored by local experts as they developed products as diverse as portable ski-waxing tables, self-tied neckties and embroidered clothing. “Because of this program, I have become comfortable with myself and everything I can do,” recent graduate Lukas Lindner told the Wausau Daily Herald.

North Philly Student Artwork on Display at Philadelphia Intl. Airport (Philadelphia Tribune, Pennsylvania)

Middle school students at General Philip Kearny School have been exploring the creative side of science through Wagner Science’s Science, Nature and Art in Philadelphia (SNAP) afterschool program. “The opportunity to give each student in grades six to eight the chance to think artistically about science, make connections between what they are being taught and what they see in the world around, and then to engage in it with critical thought and creative expression is uniquely powerful,” Kearny principal Daniel Kurtz told the Philadelphia Tribune. SNAP directly supports the school’s science curriculum, teaching students to translate scientific principles into works of art, many of which will be on display through October at the Philadelphia Airport as part of the airport’s Exhibitions program.