The Rowan County Humanists, a group dedicated to promoting reasoned thinking, ethics and science, has generously gifted two Rowan County science teachers, Kiristen Clement and Rena Taylor, with $200 each for the purchase of science supplies and equipment.

On Tuesday, Feb. 11, with 20-plus members gathered in their regular meeting room at Pancho Villa Mexican Restaurant, Humanist president Mike Baranaski and secretary Pete Prunkl presented the teachers with the funds.

When the two science teachers had been asked to speak at the Humanist meeting in April 2024, the group, which regularly invites speakers on a variety of topics, may have expected a more philosophical discussion on public school science education. Instead, Clement and Taylor shared the nuts and bolts issue of getting adequate supplies for meaningful science work.

Both teachers expressed their goal of helping students make connections between science and their lived-experiences and said that hands-on materials are still the best tool for science engagement. They told the group that the cost for such materials is frequently prohibitive, so they often found themselves paying for science supplies out of her own pockets.

This year, when the teachers were invited back to the Humanist meeting, they were pleased and surprised to receive tangible assistance from them. Taylor noted that this money would cover nearly the whole cost of an important eco-column project for her 60 AP Environmental Science students.

“It is wonderful to receive support from a local organization that cares deeply about science education,” she said. “I am thrilled.”

This isn’t the first time that the Rowan Humanists have donated to their community. The group, founded in 2015, has contributed several thousand dollars to charitable organizations such as Communities in Schools, Planned Parenthood, and the Family Crisis Center. Those gifts highlight the Humanists’ commitment to a more collaborative and ethical community. To learn more about the Rowan Humanists, visit their website at https://rowanhumanists.org or find them on Facebook as “Rowan Humanists.”