Rona Robinson-Hill, a middle school teacher at McKinley Classical Junior Academy, was awarded a $250 scholarship from the Conveyor & Drive Equipment Company to attend the seventh annual Missouri Minerals Education Foundation (MMEF) Workshop entitled “Rocks Minerals and Our Environment.”
This workshop was help at the St. Louis Community College (SLCC) – Meramec Campus from July 10 – 14. Hill joined other teachers from across Missouri to experience hands-on classroom activities, demonstrations, and fieldtrips to the Winter Brothers Material Co., Bussen Quarry and Fred Weber North Quarry. With over 50 teachers from across the state in attendance, this was an excellent venue for interaction between Missouri educators and professionals from Missouri’s rock and minerals industries.
Special guests at the workshop included Bruce Vincent, founder of the Provider pals from Libby, Montana; Barbara Shephard, MMEF President; Steve Rudloff, Executive Director of the Missouri Limestone Producers Association; and David Keller, President of the Mining Industry Council of Missouri. Highlighting the event was a visit and presentation from Missouri’s very own Miner Joe; “rock & mineral” educational musical selections were performed by the Doe Run Company trio “The Doe, Re, Mi’s”; and a fossil hunt sponsored by SLCC.
Teachers completing the workshop received four C.E.U’s from SLCC, and could elect to receive two undergraduate or graduate credits from Lincoln University. All registered teachers were encouraged to apply for the $250 industry-donated scholarship to offset expenses associated with the workshop (college credit, housing, travel and a few meals).
All the workshop attendees left the workshop excited about teaching Earth and Geosciences. They took with them a box of Missouri Minerals kit and a Missouri Rocks kit, a tote bag full of Earth science curriculum & resources that are aligned to the national and state GLE’s, hands-on student activities and a bragging rights T-shirt for successfully completing the course.
“This was one of the best workshops I have attended since I made the transition to become a classroom teacher,” said Rona Robinson-Hill.
“I am going to encourage many of my colleagues in all the teaching disciplines to take advantage of this opportunity next year. I plan to invite some of the presenters to my classroom this school to enhance my Earth science curriculum.”
