Although Oelwein High School instructional coach Bethany Hadley completed her Iowa STEM Teacher Externship last summer, her experience is still making an impact today. The program, facilitated by the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council partnered Hadley with workplace host Buchanan County Conservation for an innovative six-week experience over the summer. In her role as an instructional coach, Hadley has the unique position to connect her Externship experience to every classroom in the district, and she saw opportunities to do so in two new classes introduced to OHS during the 2024-25 school year.
AMPED (Algebra in Manufacturing, Processing, Engineering and Design) and GIC (Geometry in Construction) are mathematics classes taken in conjunction with business or industrial technology classes, respectively. This format provides more real-world connections to students and makes the overall learning experience more interactive and connected.
“GIC seemed like the perfect place to integrate a connection with Buchanan County Conservation through the education of bat populations in Iowa, the creation of bat house plans and the development of bat house kits for future programming,” Hadley said.
Hadley leaned on partnerships formed through her summer Externship experience to ensure the project’s success. Buchanan County Conservation Board naturalist Michael Maas presented to the class in the early fall on bat habits and types of bat houses. He challenged GIC students to design their own bat houses and create kits that would be sold in the gift shop at Fontana County Park or used in a bat habit education class for the community.
Under the direction of OHS geometry teacher Liz Tapper and OHS industrial technology teacher Todd Kastli, the students designed and built an original two-chamber bat house for mass production. Students learned geometry aspects, like surface area, perimeter, scale drawings, parallel lines, perpendicular lines and angle relationships. Tapper and Kastli also co-taught students how to use spreadsheets to organize parts, dimensions and calculate ordering amounts and cost per kit. Additionally, Kastli introduced students to real-world industrial tech concepts like measuring, use of tools, shop safety, mass production and on the job skills like meeting deadlines, applying for jobs and teamwork.
At the completion of the project, the class assembled three prototypes and prepared step-by-step directions for 12 bat house kits for Buchanan County Parks. In April, Maas plans to host a class in which families can learn about bats and assemble bat houses at the Fontana Park Nature Center.
“This project reflects exactly what we hope to see from the Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Program," said Ann Gritzner, Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Program coordinator. "By building meaningful connections with workplace hosts over the summer and translating those experiences back to classroom learning throughout the school year, teachers help students see both the relevance of their education and the possibilities of STEM careers close to home.”
Iowa STEM Teacher Externships are full-time, six-week summer positions in local STEM businesses and agencies for licensed, secondary teachers of mathematics, science or technology. Participants of the hands-on program earn a stipend of up to $5,500 as well as three graduate credits.
The Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Program is now accepting teacher applications for this summer’s cohort. Iowa classroom teachers interested in connecting their lessons to STEM careers by working alongside local businesses during the summer of 2026 are invited to apply. The application period interested businesses or organizations to host a STEM Teacher Extern is also open. Applications received before March 1 will be prioritized.