Hampton City Schools highlights NASA partnerships, GLOBE program and Artemis 'moon tree'

Raymond Haynes, superintendent of Hampton City Schools, interviewed Betsy McAllister, the division’s STEM teacher specialist and educator in residence at the National Institute of Aerospace, on HCS Talks about efforts to expand hands‑on STEM and environmental learning across the district.

McAllister said her role is to "bring real world opportunities to our educators and students," describing an approach that couples content knowledge with skills such as collaboration, critical thinking and science communication. "I see my role as a STEM teacher specialist in bringing real world opportunities to our educators and students," she said.

Why it matters: McAllister told listeners that connecting students with scientists and authentic research projects helps develop both STEM literacy and practical skills that can support college or workforce pathways. Those links, she said, also increase student engagement and give pupils measurable contributions to community and research projects.

McAllister described multiple partnerships and programs that feed into that goal. Through the National Institute of Aerospace, Hampton students and teachers have participated in activities with NASA scientists; she cited a collaboration with an astrophysicist at Goddard Space Flight Center that let middle school students measure sound, submit data as a citizen‑science project and follow up with the scientist on their results.

She also highlighted the GLOBE program — an international initiative supported by NASA, NOAA, the National Science Foundation and the State Department — that HCS has embedded into its science curriculum. McAllister said a grant paid for weather instrument shelters installed at each school and that the effort resulted in "probably about $25,000 worth of science equipment donated to the science department." She said students use the instruments to collect temperature, cloud and soil data and upload it to a global database.

Career and CTE links: McAllister described project‑based and career‑technical education partnerships, citing a maritime academy project in which CTE students built oyster cages with donated equipment from the Tidewater Oyster Gardener Association (TOGA). The cages allowed students to apply technical skills to an oyster‑restoration effort and helped increase community participation in local restoration work.

Student leadership and internships: McAllister outlined a STEM ambassador program that trains high school students to serve as regional interns and science communicators. She said the initial cohort included Hampton students and that, "this year we've just finished training 14 additional STEM ambassadors, three of which are from Hampton City Schools." She also said NIA communication interns worked with the out‑of‑school learning team and supported the Elevate program.

Examples of experiential learning: McAllister recounted a Joint Base Langley–Eustis cleanup during Earth Week in which 19 students from Lindsay Middle School removed about 300 lb of litter from Bethel Reservoir in roughly 90 minutes. "They left with that understanding that they had had a positive impact," she said, using the cleanup as an example of the kind of hands‑on learning she promotes.

Artemis moon tree and school celebrations: McAllister announced that Hampton City Schools was selected to receive an Artemis moon tree for Mary Jackson Elementary. She said the seedling — a loblolly pine that has been grown in her backyard — is about 3 ft tall and that the district plans a dedication ceremony with partners at Langley Research Center.

Community event: McAllister invited families and educators to a regional Coastal Virginia STEM Hub event on Nov. 8 at Virginia Peninsula Community College, noting HCS traditionally has strong attendance and will exhibit student projects.

Haynes closed the interview by thanking McAllister for her work and encouraging teachers to reach out for support. The episode also noted earlier that Forbes named Hampton City Schools one of America’s best in‑state employers for 2025, an item the program used to frame the district’s emphasis on staff supports and retention.

Next steps: McAllister said she will continue building system‑level supports so STEM and environmental practices can persist across staff changes, and she urged teachers and community partners to contact her to connect programs and grants.