The Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership has partnered with A+ Schools of NC and the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park to strengthen STEAM education in Wilson County. The multi-year STEAM education project, Kinetic Connections, is inspired by the massive kinetic sculptures created by Vollis Simpson. The Kinetic Connections project was designed to develop a STEAM-focused place-and project-based curriculum to be implemented in grades 3-5 in Wilson County Schools.
Two Kenan Fellow alumni were paired with six A+ Fellows to design a four-day intensive workshop for local educators. They worked in two teams (three A+ Fellows and one Kenan Fellow) to develop and facilitate the workshop. The Kenan Fellows brought the science content knowledge to the team, complementing the arts knowledge of the A+ Fellows. Funding for the project was provided by the Windgate Charitable Foundation.