Winning Middle School STEM Team Transporting Experiment To NASA

Teacher Sandra Hayes will accompany the three students with their sunflower gravity experiment

LAKE CHARLES, LA, October, 20 – United Way of Southwest Louisiana will hold a SWLA Send Off for the winning Region 5 STEM Center Team of three girls and their teacher from F.K. White Middle School on Sunday, November 20 at 6:00 am on the second floor atrium level of the Lake Charles Regional Airport. The STEM Team will transport their Sunflower Microgravity Growth Experiment to NASA for travel to the International Space Station as part of Mission 16 this fall.

“We are very proud that our supporters can offer a NASA-quality program to the students in this region,” explained Denise Durel, President and CEO for United Way of Southwest Louisiana. “This was the first year and we know it will only grow from here. We also offered summer scholarships to atronaut and STEM camps. It is wonderful to see the teachers and students so excited to take advantage of these programs.”

United Way of Southwest Louisiana sponsored The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) competiton in the Region 5 STEM Center for six parishes during the last school year. The first of its kind for the region, F.K. White Middle School STEM Teachers Sandra Hayes and Dana Istre’s students had the winning experiment, Sunflower Microgravity Growth.

United Way of Southwest Louisiana is sponsoring the competition again and the STEM team winning this year will have their experiment compete to travel on to the International Space Station as part of Mission 17.

Teachers, schools and students interested in participating should contact Mark Arseneault, Region 5 STEM Center Director, at mark.arseneault@cpsb.org.

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About United Way of Southwest Louisiana

Working with the community and many partners for 82 years, United Way of Southwest Louisiana tackles the critical human services issues facing our five-parish footprint of Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron and Jeff Davis. Our United approach is changing the odds for all children, families and individuals in the community, so that we all have the opportunity to succeed. Learn more about our life-changing work at Unitedwayswla.org and follow us on social media @UnitedWayofSWLA

- Operating in the TOP 9% of all U.S. United Ways. –TOP 125 out of 1300 United Ways!
- Maintains a 4-STAR charity rating with Charity Navigator and a PLATINUM SEAL OF TRANSPARENCY with Candid (formerly GuideStar)
- Mackenzie Scott Recipient (1^st year, member of the original #UNITEDWAY46)
- LEPA Award Winner 2022 from Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness for Outstanding Service
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