Heavy rains and flooding impacting so many in the St. Louis region in late July have also been felt by the Institute for School Partnership at Washington University in St. Louis (ISP).
Efforts are underway to recover flood damage to the mySci Resource Center located at 6601 Vernon Avenue in University City. The building, which serves as the primary office, warehouse and distribution center for ISP’s mySci program, took in several feet of water from flash flooding that hit the area July 25-26. Thousands of the program’s materials, primarily mySci kits, were lost and the office space damaged just weeks before the beginning of the 2022-2023 academic school year.
K-8 teachers throughout the St. Louis region consider mySci the go-to resource for bringing joyful, engaging and high-quality science learning experiences to their classrooms. In 2021-2022, mySci was used by 305 public, private/independent and parochial schools, supporting 3,800 teachers and reaching over 125,000 students.
“Restoring a safe working environment for our mySci team and taking the necessary steps to ensure that all mySci kits are replaced and ready for delivery to the hundreds of schools across the region are our top priorities,” says ISP Executive Director Victoria May. “We are encouraged by the progress that has already been made to restore warehouse operations and remain committed to working with our valued partners to identify creative, viable solutions. This isn’t the first time this incredible team has proven we can quickly pivot and problem-solve to meet emerging needs. During the pandemic, we worked alongside educators to ensure students had access to equitable, high-quality science instruction, and I am confident that we can adapt and move forward through this challenge as well.”