Dads Club Builds a New, High-Tech Weather Station for Newman

During Katrina, the weather station atop the Valmont Building dutifully collected data on the incoming storm. As the wind and rain worsened, the rain gauge filled again and again, and the anemometer simply could not keep up with the howling winds. The weather station supports gave way, wires snapped, and the station went dark. But thanks to a generous grant by the Dads Club, a completely new, upgraded weather station is up and running at Newman!

On the morning of Monday, February 13, a group of people assembled on the roof of the Valmont Building to officially christen the new weather station on a relatively pleasant winter day (partly cloudy skies, 50 degrees, variable winds out of the southeast at 14 miles per hour). Joining Head of School T.J. Locke, Head of Middle School Phillip Wallace, and Science Teacher Lisa Coulon were the past president, president, and president elect of the Dads Club, Tim Gold, Brad Gottsegen ’85, and Charles Freeman ’81.

For Coulon, the installation of the new weather station was “a dream come true.” She had wanted to fix the weather station ever since she arrived at the School in 2009. Knowing that the Dads Club had funded the original weather station back in 1986, she decided to submit a grant proposal the Dads Club for the new weather station hardware. The grant was approved, and the Dads Club, which works to enhance learning and student life at the School, generously funded the purchase and installation of the new weather station.

The weather station is a new and improved version that includes standard weather gauges, plus a high-definition camera that looks out over Lupin Field and the city skyline. The gauges collect data on temperature, humidity, air pressure, rainfall, dew point, and wind direction and speed. The camera provides a live video feed of the weather conditions and records it for playback. The station also has an LCD screen, which displays the weather data in the hallway near the Middle School Office. Both the weather station and the camera are connected to the Internet and the WeatherBug website, so Newman students, teachers, and families – as well as the wider community – can view Newman’s weather at any time, from anywhere with a web connection.

The educational possibilities of the weather station are vast, and they extend to all three divisions of the School and beyond. Lower school science classes can view the weather data and begin the discussion of why we collect weather data, as well as introducing concepts about weather types and cloud formations. Middle school classes can dig deeper into weather measurement and tracking in a full meteorology unit, and the students can begin to use the data to predict the weather or make their own weather instruments and compare their measurements with the data from the station. Upper school classes can use long range data to analyze weather trends and climate, as well as for independent projects. Newman families, faculty and staff can view weather at the campus from home, for their own hobbies or to decide if they should bring an umbrella to school!

But Coulon puts it best, saying, “This is an exciting opportunity not only for my students and me, but for the Newman community. Having access to real live data right here on campus will allow for us to be connected to the School whether we’re on campus or far away, as the data, our campus and skyline, can all be viewed online. I am very pleased that the Dad’s Club has afforded me this opportunity to enhance my teaching and classroom.”

If you would like to test out some of the weather station’s capabilities or bookmark the WeatherBug page at home, use one of the links below to visit the station, get weather data, or view the video from the high-definition camera.

Get the WeatherBug iPhone app or Android app.