HAMDEN--A new generation of meteorologists is learning the craft in an eighth grade class in Hamden.
Danny Martins, a science teacher, is utilizing the school's new Rainwise Weather Station to teach his students forecasting. The system is state of the art and feeds data 24/7 to students. It was given to the school through a grant between the school and Hamden Public Works, which can use the information the kids gather. "Currently, I like to teach about weather fronts, what's going on currently, what's expected," Martins said.
Students get the opportunity to interpret the weather with the advanced technology instead of just learning definitions. "They look at weather apps, and this allows them to take away the electronics in one sense, and lets them use it in another, allowing them to do their own forecasting," Martins said.
The class's forecasts are influencing others in the district. "I actually email the superintendent and keep him up to date so that he cancel school if he needs to," said Henry Bielen, a student in the class.
Tristan Ayala, another student, echoed Bielen's statement: "We will have snow. That's what we can expect. Five to 8 inches, and 100 percent of precipitation."
There are currently 90 eighth-grade students using the device's data to learn about weather, but everyone can access the information.
