Technology | Fall 2008
An education in weather.
By Jennifer Barber
On-site school weather stations combine teaching and safety roles
When bad weather moves into a prairie community, it can come fast and furious. A particularly intense thunderstorm that crossed southern Manitoba did not catch an elementary school principal by surprise, however. His school's own weather station monitored the storm and helped him keep the kids in his care safe.
Elmwood School at Altona initially installed a WeatherBug weather station on the roof of the school with safety in mind. “In this part of Canada the weather can change quickly and dramatically,” says principal Allan Schroeder. “We are using weather technology to make the best possible decisions for kids.”
In addition, information from the station is turning out to be a useful educational tool. Data is transmitted to the school's internal network where older kids study weather patterns as part of the science curriculum, and the younger children use it to build a daily school calendar.
Schroeder says he was often frustrated by the lack of current weather information when deciding whether small children should be outdoors at recess or for other activities. He notes that some weather issues, such as wind chill, have local variations and can change by the minute.
“We can look after the interests of the kids in our community by having this information available to our transportation coordinator for busing decisions,” says Schroeder. “Parents and students can also log onto our division website and get weather updates and see if there is a school closure as a result of bad weather. I would encourage all schools to look at this as a true safety and education tool.”
As a retired farmer, Schroeder says he is proud that their station also contributes to the surrounding agricultural network. Four schools in the district have installed WeatherBug stations, he explains, and the information they generate benefits the community as a whole.
