Amanda Clapp, a science teacher at the Catamount School, the laboratory middle school operated by Western Carolina University in partnership with Jackson County Schools, has been named a Kenan Fellow for 2019-20.
Clapp is one of 27 educators across the state chosen for the fellowship and one of six Kenan Fellows in Western North Carolina who will work to make connections between their classrooms and authentic science, technology, engineering and math (also known as “STEM”) practices in the workplace as part of the WNC STEMwork project.
The Kenan Fellows Program was established in 2000 as a K-12 education initiative of the Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology and Science at North Carolina State University. It focuses on providing high-quality professional development for educators and is the largest STEM-focused teacher fellowship in the state. Participating educators receive a $5,000 stipend for their work.
Supported through a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission, Clapp and the other WNC teachers will participate in three-week internships with local businesses and industries beginning in June, immersing themselves in the STEM fields of intercommunications, textiles, power management, agriculture, aviation and manufacturing. Clapp will fulfill her internship working with Teresa Mallonee of Tek Tone Sound and Signal of Franklin, a designer and manufacturer of intercommunication solutions for health care, residential and commercial markets.
Originally published May 9, 2019.