Middle School Installs WeatherBug System

When weather rolls over Chartiers Valley Middle School, the district’s new WeatherBug station is in perfect position to collect data and snap beautiful photos.

Three weeks ago, the district installed the weather station on the roof of the middle school’s stadium wing and it is streaming data to both students and meteorologists at KDKA-TV.

Mike Leonard, who coordinates instructional technology in the district, said teachers are being trained on the equipment so they can use it during math, science and other courses. The school still plans to install several small touchscreen televisions around the middle school so students can track live weather patterns or find out other information.

The system also has a lightning sensor to warn administrators if there is a danger to students on the nearby athletic fields.

“It’s really a futuristic program,” Leonard said.

The most immediate impact for students, though, has been watching time-lapsed photos of their school campus appear on KDKA during its 5 p.m. newscast.

“That was the best location for the most accurate readings,” Leonard said of the stadium wing location. “It also gave us a really nice camera shot.”

There are WeatherBug stations currently located on more than 8,000 schools across the country. For more information on the program, go to www.weatherbugschools.com.