Excitement was building at Hamilton Elementary this week as third grade teacher Mrs. Ali Lopez worked behind the scenes on a special surprise — not just for her own students, but also for Mrs. Prins’ third grade class.
Thanks to her efforts, students welcomed WOODTV 8 Chief Meteorologist Ellen Bacca, who brought the WOODTV Weather Experience to Hamilton. During the interactive presentation, third graders explored lake effect snow, tornadoes, friction, clouds, thunderstorms, and discovered how science helps us better understand the world around us.
After the hour-long experience, third grade student Beau had a chance to conduct a one-on-one interview with Ellen!
“My name is Beau and I’m from third grade,” he began confidently before jumping right into his questions.
Beau asked Ellen why she came to Hamilton Elementary.
“I came here because I love teaching people about the weather,” Ellen shared. “And I feel like kids have great weather questions.”
Curious about her journey, Beau followed up by asking how she learned everything she knows about meteorology.
“I learned this by going to school like you,” Ellen explained, “and then becoming a meteorologist and forecasting the weather at WOOD TV8.”
Beau also wanted to know what it feels like to be on television.
“At first, I was really nervous,” Ellen admitted, “but now it’s just part of the job.”
The interview didn’t stop there. Beau asked what Ellen might do if she weren’t a TV meteorologist.
She shared that she would likely study meteorology in the mountains, focusing on wind currents in what’s called boundary layer meteorology. And if meteorology wasn’t an option at all?
“I would be a dolphin trainer,” she laughed.
To wrap up the interview, Beau asked her favorite part of meteorology.
“My favorite part of meteorology is looking to see how science comes to life in real life,” Ellen said.
With that, Beau closed the segment like a seasoned pro:
“For Hamilton Community Schools, I’m Beau.”
Thank you to Ellen and the team from WOODTV for making the trip to Hamilton to share their knowledge with our students!
