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Meet Our New Education Specialist, Harrison Evans!
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PBS NewsHour Classroom Resource Gives 3 Ways To Teach About Chaotic Events At U.S. Capitol
This week, the nation on witnessed a grave breach of its democratic traditions. For the first time in American history, supporters of the losing presidential candidate forcibly disrupted the official counting of electoral votes. How can you use it as a teaching moment for your students or children?
Meet Harrison Evans, Our New Education Specialist
Harrison Evans has joined our Education Department as an Education Specialist.

He will coordinate WVPB's Inquire Within Library Program and support other educational initiatives for the organization. He is a graduate of the University of Kentucky with both Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Communication.

“I am very humbled and excited about my role as the Education Specialist for West Virginia Public Broadcasting,” Harrison said. “Children are the hope for tomorrow, and I feel blessed to work with them in this capacity.”

He also is an adjunct faculty instructor in Public Speaking and Marketing for Midway University and has served as Student Ministries Director at CrossPointe Church in Kentucky.

Harrison comes to us with years of experience teaching students of various ages, said Education Director Kelly Griffith.
“Harrison brings classroom experience and superior communication skills to this position and is clearly passionate about community engagement and educating the youth of West Virginia. He’s energetic and eager to serve our teachers, schools, libraries and youth organizations. We can’t wait to see him in action!”
Governor Justice Shares Vaccine Plan for Elderly,
As School Employees, Teachers Decry Reopening Timeline

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has announced the start of a new vaccine rollout plan aimed at the state’s senior population called Save Our Wisdom, or SOW.

“We can't let the wisdom just die away,” said Justice in his Wednesday virtual press briefing where he addressed specifics on his vaccination plan rollout and concerns from educators over safety.

SOW will mainly focus on getting the elderly in West Virginia vaccinated, starting with people 80 and older.
“The very thing that we oughta all be the most concerned with, that I was preaching to the mountaintops, was age, age, age,” Justice said. “Because if we can vaccinate our elderly, that's who I'm reading every day.”
Justice referred to the identities of the state’s latest COVID-19 victims, which he acknowledges in each media briefing by reading their age, gender and where they lived. The majority of those deaths have been people over 60.

The governor said his new SOW initiative will also prioritize “faculty and service personnel” who are 50 and above, but he did not specify exactly what kind of service workers they would be.

Ten vaccination clinics, starting Thursday, will be set up in partnership with county health departments. These counties include Berkeley, Kanawha, Mercer, Monongalia, Ohio, Raleigh, Wood and Wyoming. EDUCATION REPORTER LIZ MCCORMICK HAS DETAILS.
Teachers Reflect On Lessons Learned Amid Pandemic
The school year is now about half over, depending on where you live, but teachers everywhere are getting ready for a new year, as we all are. Over the break, many teachers are asking, what worked? What didn't? And where will this leave the children that we teach? For our series Learning Curve, where we check in on the many challenges of this very peculiar academic year, we are putting those questions to two high school educators. Michael Terich teaches 11th and 12th grade in Santa Ana, Calif. 7-MINUTE LISTEN
Check Out Our New Program
That Supports At-Home Learning

Let's Learn is an educational public television series for children ages 3 to 8, featuring lessons by educators, STEM specialists, teaching artists and others. It will air at 8 a.m. Mondays on WVPB's Kids Channel. Watch the promo now!

The program offers 130 one-hour shows that include instruction in literacy, math, science, social studies and the arts to supplement at-home learning. The series also supports social-emotional learning and brings viewers on virtual field trips to see dance performances, meet animals, visit botanical gardens and more.

Healthy Snack Ideas for Kids
Start the new year with healthy choices. Growing children need healthy foods to keep their bodies strong and their minds clear. You can encourage healthy eating by talking to your kids about nutrition, involving them in their food choices and leading by example.

LEARN MORE!
Winter Wonderland Terrarium
Make a magical winter wonderland terrarium using an old empty glass jar with a lid. What kinds of things would belong in a winter wonderland terrarium? Hunt for objects outside or around the house that would fit this season. With just a few simple crafting supplies and some creativity, you can get started! LEARN MORE!
Odd Squad | Code Breaker
Grades 1-3 • Interactive Game • Math
Can you break the code? This game from Odd Squad will help children with counting and cardinal numbers (identifying and counting patterns in 1s, 2s, 5s, and 10s). LEARN MORE!
Secrets of the Code Talkers | The Warrior Tradition
Grades 2-8 • Media GalleryU.S. HistoryCivics/Government
Students will be able to understand the role of the code talker during World War II and discover how a Native language served as an unbreakable “secret” code and weapon against the enemy. A lesson plan and discussion guide are included in support materials. LEARN MORE!
NOVA Cybersecurity Lab Game
Grades 6-12 • InteractiveScience/TechnologySociology
Learn how to keep your digital life safe, spot cyber scams, understand the basics of coding, and defend against cyber attacks with the NOVA Cybersecurity Lab. Players assume the role of chief technology officer of a start-up social network company that is the target of increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. In the game, players must complete challenges to strengthen their defenses and thwart attackers. The lab also features stories of real-world cyber attacks, a glossary of cyber terms, and short animated videos that explain the need for cybersecurity; privacy versus security; cryptography (cyber codes); and what exactly hackers are. EXPLORE!
Student Podcast Challenge Is Now Open!
It's that time of year! New semester, new assignments and new Student Podcast Challenge. Yep, NPR's Student Podcast Challenge is back for its third year, and it is now open!

We know you have stories to tell and our friends at NPR are excited to listen. Tell us about your life, or something you're passionate about — like tater tots. You could investigate a hometown mystery, or write a radio drama and direct a dramatic reading with friends. We've heard all these and more in our first two years. The world is your oyster!

Last year, despite a massive disruption to the school year amid the global pandemic, the Student Podcast Challenge brought in thousands of podcasts from high school and middle school students in 46 states and the District of Columbia. (We missed you, Dakotas!)
This year, the basics are pretty much the same: Students will create a podcast about a topic they want to explore — and that can be just about anything.

There are some rules to keep in mind: Only students in grades 5-12 are eligible to enter, and a teacher, or after-school program coordinator, or parent or anyone over the age of 18 has to be the one to submit the podcast.

And, as always, we've got a host of training materials, guides for sound recording and audio production, what you can — and can't — do with music, lists of do's and don'ts, and we even made a podcast about making a good podcast! LEARN ALL ABOUT IT!

Masterpiece: All Creatures Great and Small premieres Sunday, Jan. 10, at 9 p.m., on West Virginia Public Broadcasting TV. WVPB members can stream it in the classroom or at home via WVPB Passport anytime! LEARN MORE!