Cultural Arts Coalition Science Bus rolls into Shell Elementary School in Hawthorne

A local nonprofit will be heading to Shell Elementary School in Hawthorne on Monday to offer an interactive science after-school program.

The Cultural Arts Coalition, a local nonprofit in east Gainesville, will bring its Science Bus to the rural community to engage students in the subject of science.

Santa Fe College President Paul Broadie also will be in attendance along with representatives from the Florida Museum of Natural History, who will be leading the science activities.

NKwanda Jah, founder of the Cultural Arts Coalition, said this event is good in two ways. The first, is that she wants the Santa Fe College president to meet the children and hopefully build a relationship between the college and the community.

By the way: Freedom Schools, born in the Civil Rights Era, come to Gainesville this summer

Related: A. Quinn Jones teacher selected for 2022 award for supporting behavioral health

Opinion: Alachua County students, families deserve better from superintendent

The Cultural Arts Coalition's Science Bus will be at Shell Elementary School in Hawthorne from 3 to 5 p.m. on Monday. [Courtesy of Marvin Wilson Jr.]
The Cultural Arts Coalition's Science Bus will be at Shell Elementary School in Hawthorne from 3 to 5 p.m. on Monday. [Courtesy of Marvin Wilson Jr.]

"Another reason that we're going to take that bus, is that we have clubs that are in east Gainesville, but we aren't able to start clubs in our rural communities and smaller municipalities because we can't get volunteers to go that far," Jah said.

The Cultural Arts Coalition bought the Science Bus two years ago. At the time it was a regular school bus, but it has since been converted to have stations with interactive activities for children.

The event, which runs from 3 to 5 p.m., will be held for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. The Cultural Arts Coalition said it expects between 50 and 60 kids to attend.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Science Bus brings interactive activities to Shell Elementary students