As weather events across the planet become more severe, the need for accurate documentation and reporting of weather events becomes more important.  Abington High School science teachers Ms. Nicole Corbett and the department head Ms. Diane Salvetti had this in mind when purchasing a weather station for the new school.  

What ended up being installed was an interactive weather station, powered by the WeatherBug app.  The station offers real-time data for Abington Public Schools and the Abington community as a whole.  According to Ms. Corbett,  the station also “comes with a computer program which allows students to use data from the station to do science labs.”  The station also can “analyze and present [weather data] to the school and town.”

Regarding the program, Ms. Corbett said that it includes “a curriculum for a meteorology class, and a coding program that allows students to code widgets and apps that report the weather conditions.” The station also lends its data and live stream camera to WBZ CBS who may use the data in their broadcasts.    

The station is equipped with sensors to detect wind speed and direction, temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity, precipitation, and light. Computers located on the station can also calculate wind chill, dew point, UV (ultraviolet) index, and changes in atmospheric pressure.  The data collected is then archived. 

Although, the equipment was partially paid for by grants through the Abington High School Math Department from a company based in Massachusetts and from the Abington Education Foundation (AEF), Ms. Corbett said, “We are still working on fundraisers to collect more money to go towards its cost.”  

When asked how the idea of a weather system came to fruition, Ms. Corbett said, “Ms. Salvetti wanted a weather station for the new school, but the quote the school contractors received was too high ($15,000).”  Then, in May of 2017 she reached out to meteorologists at CBS Boston who gave her information about a company in Maryland who offered a new proposal at half the price of the original offer. 

Not only will the weather station have an impact outside of the Abington community, but it will also significantly benefit all students in the Abington Public School system.  Software on the instrument has modules for students of varying ages that create lessons about “weather and its relationship to different aspects” of everyday life.

Moreover, classes other than those dedicated to science can be enriched by the equipment. For instance, Ms. Corbett said, “Math classes can work with analyzing and graphing numerical data; English classes can tie information from the station into persuasive writing pieces and proposals; and computer science classes can work on coding various programs that can take data from the station and present it to others.” So although people might think that the weather station will only help with science classes, it will actually provide the Abington Public School students with an educational tool that has applications in multiple fields outside the classroom for years to come. 

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Check out the Abington Online Weather Center: https://owc.enterprise.earthnetworks.com/OnlineWeatherCenter.aspx?aid=7292