Webster Hill School decided to purchase the AWS system after carefully reviewing many other systems. "The AWS system is all and more than it proposed to be," said Sopelak. "Our original intention was to use it in conjunction with the fourth grade weather curriculum. It turned out to be so powerful that we were able to enrich our entire curriculum in kindergarten through fifth grade in math, science, social studies and language arts." Webster Hill's real-time weather station was used to study its Living Courtyard, where students learned about composting, growing cycles, monarch butterflies, forecasting, meteorology and more.

"We are extremely pleased that Ken Sopelak's unique use of our weather program has earned him recognition," said CEO and President Bob Marshall. "His outstanding work demonstrates that weather appeals to all grade levels and is a wonderful subject around which teachers can wrap all sorts of valuable lessons. This is what the school WeatherNet Program is designed to do."

"Ken Sopelak has shared his knowledge and skills with students and teachers alike, and has developed materials for weather activities that teach mathematics, science, and critical thinking skills," the NEA Foundation wrote. The Hilda Maehling Award recognizes an individual who builds on the professional development funded by an NEA Foundation Leadership Grant by enhancing the academic skills of additional faculty or staff in the school institution of higher education.

Since 1993, AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc. has coupled education technology with a unique business model that catalyzes positive relationships between schools, communities, businesses and local television stations nationwide. The school WeatherNet Program integrates state-of-the-art technology with award winning curriculum (grades K-12) to bring real world meaning into classrooms and to improve students' critical thinking, problem solving skills and performance in science, math, geography and technology.

Real-time information from the school WeatherNet Program fuels the popular and FREE PC desktop tool called WeatherBug. WeatherBug is the web's only source for LIVE neighborhood weather conditions, forecasts and warnings. To find out how your school can join the school WeatherNet Program, call 1-800-544-4429 or go to http://www.aws.com/instaweather.asp.