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On Tuesday morning, the Troup County School District, local officials, and business representatives crowded into classrooms at Ethel W. Kight Elementary School. EKES was one of four schools worldwide recognized as a 2024-2025 A World In Motion (AWIM) STEM School. The visitors got to take a tour and see the hands-on learning experiences that earned the school this award. 

According to SAE’s website, A World in Motion is a PreK through 12th grade STEM curriculum focused on experiential learning that aims “to provide equitable access to STEM.” SAE is an association of engineers and technical experts, and its foundation arm focuses on youth programs. 

On the tour, the visitors got to participate in STEM activities, including a competition to see how far a straw plane could fly and a lesson on how sound works.   

Sara Proctor, a fifth-grade teacher at EKES, gave a brief history of the program in Troup County. 

“KIA partnered with the SAE Foundation’s A World in Motion in 2012, from there an engaging STEM curriculum was introduced to 1st through eighth grade classrooms in more than 60 schools across Georgia and Alabama,” she said.  

According to Proctor, AWIM has impacted more than 90,000 students. One of the central experiences in the program is the JetToy Challenge, also sponsored by KIA. The members of Ethel Kight’s team competed with their built wind-powered car in Columbus during the winter and served as tour guides on Tuesday. 

One of the team members, Yilena Lopez, spoke of her experience getting to compete in Columbus. 

“My experience in getting to go to Columbus for the JetToy Challenge was amazing. Even though we didn’t win, I got to meet great people and learn more about A World in Motion…It was the best trip ever,” she said.  

Joy Lancaster, a representative from the SAE Foundation, talked about the significance of the award. 

“This is a new pilot recognition that we are doing for our schools…and only four schools worldwide are recognized, and Ethel Kight is one of them,” she explained. “We serve over 170,000 students globally every year.”

She continued, “We looked at how our schools implement AWIM…across entire grade levels, in multiple grade levels to really build on the experience and the knowledge and the practical application the students are engaging in…Ethel Kight checks all of those boxes.”

Dr. Nigel Walker, Principal of Ethel Kight, thanked the foundation and business partners for their role in implementing the curriculum, saying, “It’s a true collaboration for us to bring experiences for our kids that can really transform their lives and make education exciting for them. These are the types of activities and programs that make it exciting for our students.”