Bay District Schools recognizes AFCEC STEM outreach program

  • Published
  • By Jess Echerri
  • AFCEC Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Joe Wander, the science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, outreach coordinator at the Air Force Civil Engineer Center's Tyndall Detachment, was recognized at a Bay District Schools board meeting Sept. 22 for his role in providing C.C. Washington Academy with new science equipment as part of AFCEC's STEM outreach program.

AFCEC provided more than $25,000 toward a new science lab for glassware, measurement devices, basic lab equipment and computers installed with science lab software.

The contribution was matched by Bay District Schools, who purchased and are installing new lab benches in a dedicated science classroom that will house 140 classes during the school day.

"The school did not have a working science lab," said Katie McCurdy, K-12 science instructional specialist for Bay District Schools in Panama City, Florida. "We are excited for the hands-on, real-world opportunities in science this will provide for the students and teachers at C.C. Washington. We truly appreciate AFCEC for making this possible for our students."

The mission of C.C. Washington Academy, which teaches students in grades 6 to 8, is "to offer struggling students the opportunity to succeed in an academic environment."
Wander believes he is contributing to the school's mission by giving students the tools to discover and learn STEM concepts before high school.

"There are a lot of students at C.C. Washington with unrecognized talent," he said. "There is talent to be mined there and this lab will help the teachers to do that."

Wander began heading up AFCEC's STEM outreach program at the Air Force Research Laboratory in 2011 and continued at AFCEC's Tyndall detachment after that. He has worked with four schools in Bay and Gulf counties to improve student and teacher engagement in STEM classrooms and after-school programs.

"Joe has, for several years now, found funding that no one else was looking for," said Ginger Littleton, a Bay District Schools board member. "We truly owe him a debt a gratitude for all of the hard work he's done."