Students certified as storm spotters
Rylea Marler, Isaac Ross, Makenzie Carpenter, D.J. Bauhaus and Keeli Brown, all sixth-grade students at Pea Ridge Middle School, earned their official SKYWARN Storm Spotter Training certificates this year through UCAR’s Comet Program, an online course promoted by the National Weather Service for training new storm spotters.
The Middle School’s Student Weather Team was started this year under the new School Resource Officer Program by Police Sgt. John Langham. Langham, a trained storm spotter and founder of NWA Wx Watch, used the project to show students that police officers are people, too, with a wide variety of interests outside of law enforcement. At the same time, Langham has been able to share his passion for science and instill that passion into the students.
Joe Pennington, 5News meteorology, joined the group this week by video chat as he held vigil at the 5News studio watching potential severe weather developing even as these students were presented their storm spotter certificates from the Comet Program in the presence of parents and family.
“It has been an amazing opportunity to spend time with these students and share my passion for the weather,” said Langham. “They no longer see me as just the ‘school cop,’ but as a mentor and teacher and now I know them as more than a face in the hallway.”
For more information on the program, visit https:// www.meted.ucar.edu/ for details.