Monday Night Science is entering its third year! See below for dates, and if you would like to join us, please fill out this form and/or contact Nathan Sams (nathan.sams@nysacademy.org) to be added to the mailing list.
Dates for 2026:
Click the links below to add the event to your calendar.
Flyer
Please feel free to download and post the flyer below anywhere you think folks might be interested in joining us for any of our events.
About the Program
Modeled on the dream of our 2022 National Youth Science Camp Alum of the Year, Dennis Schatz (CO 1965), we are proud to host the third year of our local program, Monday Night Science! Email Associate Director Nathan Sams for more information. Dates are also posted on our Calendar of Events. A huge thank you to the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation for sponsoring this program, and to our partners at the Tucker County Family Support Center for helping to make these events possible!
Highlights from Past Events
We had SO MUCH FUN learning about local geology and collecting fossils at Horseshoe Recreation and Campground Area! Check out some photos below!
Another big “THANK YOU!” to Tucker County Family Resource Network for leading our Buddy Build event with hoagies and birdhouses! Participants also enjoyed art activities with Ben Nelson and Elizabeth Bohon, as well as a nature walk led by Frank Gebhard with local flora in bloom. Our first year of programming wrapped up with a presentation by local herbalist Nicole Spencer on our Davis Campus, followed by a cookout, fossil hunt, and rock painting party at Camp Horseshoe near Parsons.
During May we prepared our community garden with raised beds for local families. Parents helped to assemble the beds while other participants enjoyed a wetland tour led by Frank Gebhard.
Our eclipse event on April 8th, 2024, was a tremendous success with over 450 attendees, followed by a spaghetti dinner and a talk on DarkSky International from folks at Blackwater State Park in the evening. We also celebrated Earth Day with a walk on the Heart of the Highlands trails around our campus led by biologist Frank Gebhard.
In early March 2024 we celebrated Dena L. Beckner’s book A Wild & Wonderful West Virginia Alphabet. The local parent, author, and illustrator joined us for a book signing with copies of the book provided by Tucker County Family Resource Network. We highlighted several letters in the book with STEAM activities and tables – including local elderberry jam, honey (with Mat Cloak on beehives), sugar maple syrup, quilt squares, and zucchini seeds. The local Parents as Teachers group made pepperoni rolls and Charm Farm provided local greens for a delicious salad. Two weeks later, we premiered our promotional video by Verglas Media featuring Monday Night Science families! In addition, Jerod Caligiuri of Davis & Elkins College led a planetarium show plus activities on dark skies and light pollution after a wonderful dinner including beef, carrots, potatoes, and onions from Charm Farm in Beverly, WV.
We enjoyed activities where science and art intersect with Emilee Goodman and Frank Gebhard on February 5th, 2024!
For the month of December 2024 we enjoyed game nights with a focus on community bonding, math, strategy, and problem-solving skills in our fun learning environment. Thank you to locals Jason and Angie of The Adventure Guild Game Shop in Thomas for joining us on December 18th!
Thank you to Frank Gebhard of Friends of Blackwater, Jerod Caligiuri of Davis & Elkins College, Pablo Velt of the WV Science Public Outreach Team (SPOT), as well as to Beth Henry-Vance and Callie Cronin Sams of the WV Department of Environmental Protection for joining us in November for our local water/wetlands programming!
Todd Ensign and Autumn Gleydura from the NASA Katherine Johnson IV & V Education Resource Center in Fairmont joined us in October. On October 9th, they led activities with a portable dome planetarium and infrared camera. On October 23rd, they focused on rockets, drones, and robots!
