Rocky Branch Elementary School student Augustus Grahl bundles up in a coat as he reads his projected weather forecast for Birmingham, Ala. during a science class on Monday, Dec. 13, 2010 in Watkinsville, Ga. School officials recently installed a weather station on the roof of the school, giving students a great resource to study the weather. (AP Photo/Athens Banner-Herald, Richard Hamm)BOGART, Ga. – Conditions recently were ripe for an early dusting of snow – daytime temperatures below freezing and low clouds dropping a fine mist of moisture.
The kids at Rocky Branch Elementary in Oconee County saw it coming.
Like professional meteorologists, they can tap into a live weather station to pull up temperature readings and weather forecasts in classrooms throughout the school.
“We wanted to give them a chance to work with live data,” said Principal Evelyn Wages. “This way, they can actually look up the weather and pull up real temperatures, instead of going, ‘It’s hot. It’s cold. It’s windy.’ We wanted them to look at more specific information.”
The school, with the help of the parent-teacher organization, bought the $6,400 weather station this year to give students a relevant way to learn about weather, math and geography.