TheBurg

March 2023

TheBurg News - Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine

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03.23 | THEBURGNEWS.COM | 29 Live!, allowing virtual field trips for even more students, regardless of their geographic locations. Other field trips became virtual and socially distanced, too. Whitaker Without Walls provides education from afar. And for the younger kids, WOW (Whitaker on Wheels) delivers interactive STEAM education to preschools, daycare centers and elementary schools. "We didn't have the need for virtual programs before COVID," Black said. "Now, we've developed the delivery because of COVID, and we're able to reach into more areas, even other states." e pandemic also pushed many outdoors to seek safer, socially distanced activities. New in October 2022 was Whitaker Center's Wildwood Preserve partnership: "Weekends with Whitaker." Weather permitting, kids can become immersed in woodsy topics such as birdwatching, dip netting, tree identification, citizen science and nature appreciation. NEW AT HARSCO Brand new at the Harsco Science Center through Memorial Day is the temporary exhibit "Questioneers," originally from the DuPage Children's Museum. Based on the children's series of New York Times bestseller chapter books, the bilingual exhibit focuses on problem-solving, featuring its beloved early elementary characters who hold such jobs as engineer, architect, scientist, leader and artist. Whitaker Center's director of education, Sarah rockmorton, is planning public outreach community days to highlight the bilingual aspect. DOCUMENTARIES APLENTY e Digital Cinema features a rotation of 10 nature- and space-themed educational films—eight in 3D. Especially for the 3D movies, there's nothing like watching a movie on a giant screen that's 40-feet high and eight stories wide, like aerial shots soaring above the Grand Canyon, deep-diving through a coral reef, or watching monarch butterflies migrate through North America. You can even watch a videogame tournament on the big screen. CULTURE CHANGE Despite the lean workforce that has become part of the post-pandemic culture, Black sees the current Whitaker Center staff as "energized, bringing their passion to the job for their particular areas." He's looking to build a culture of collaboration and purposeful insubordination [no "yes" people], providing staff members with opportunities to pursue their passions. is enthusiasm has already influenced creative programming with an emphasis on STEAM, continued growth and fulfilling community partnerships. Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts is located at 222 Market St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.whitakercenter.org. PNC Innovation Zone Surgery Live! Questioneers Exhibit Questioneers Exhibit

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