ENVIRONMENTAL CHARTER SCHOOL PARTNERS WITH MOONSHOT MUSEUM AND COMMUNITY FORGE TO PROVIDE REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCES TO STUDENTS
For Immediate Release
ENVIRONMENTAL CHARTER SCHOOL PARTNERS WITH MOONSHOT MUSEUM AND COMMUNITY FORGE TO PROVIDE REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCES TO STUDENTS
PITTSBURGH (Jan. 28, 2025) — Environmental Charter Middle School (ECMS) students were empowered to follow their passions and connect with the community during an assembly on Monday, Jan. 27 with Moonshot Museum’s Dr. Jimyse L. Brown, and Community Forge’s Dr. Patrick Cooper.
Dr. Brown is the first African-American Executive Director of a space museum in Pennsylvania and the first African-American director globally of a museum focused on career readiness for the 21st-century space industry. During her keynote speech, Dr. Brown explained that students can use their interests to join the aerospace industry; “NASA needs game developers to build real-time simulations and mission training tools—essential for Mission Control. And they also need graphic designers, not just to design mission dashboards, but to create everything from spacecraft branding to scientific visualizations that bring space exploration to life.”
“I get to combat what people think aerospace industry professionals look like,” Brown said. “Similar to what ECMS is doing with its Quest Lab program, I dedicate my time to inspiring students to follow their passions and connect them to careers. I’m overjoyed to see that students who are from the same area as me are knowledgeable and interested in the aerospace industry.”
The Jan. 27 assembly was a part of the 8th graders’ Quest Lab mid-year checkpoint, an ECMS program where students attend year-long, interest-based, mini-expeditions in small cohorts such as farm-to-table, music, art and sustainability. Each lab offers hands-on experiences that connect the classroom to the real world.
“Dr. Jimyse L. Brown is a Pittsburgh native that is working to strengthen the community, which is the same concept embedded in ECMS’s Quest Labs program,” Nida Wilson, Programs and Partnerships Coordinator at the Environmental Charter School (ECS) said. “Students get out the door to see how what they learn in the classroom can have a positive impact when taking action in their community.”
Following Dr. Brown’s speech, students engaged in design activities and heard from Dr. Patrick Cooper, director of programs and co-founder of Community Forge.
"Not only is ECS bringing their youth out into the city to experience learning outside of the classroom, they're also capturing and documenting their learning to make a documentary,” Cooper said. “Making a documentary is about thinking about life as a story with meaning, purpose and characters who grow and change. ECS is one of the few schools deploying this creative novelty into the fabric of their education, which is why Community Forge is so excited to be a part of their community."
ECMS conducted more than 30 Quest Labs during the first semester of the school year with several more planned. The ECS district looks forward to cultivating its interdependent, community-driven partnerships to enhance collaboration efforts that support the growth of workforce development opportunities for students and strengthens the positive, collective impact on the Pittsburgh area.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Deana Callipare, director of communications
(412) 247-7970 x9200
About ECS:
The Environmental Charter School is a publicly funded, K–12, public charter school in Pittsburgh, Pa. ECS combines the academic rigor of the best public schools with a multi-disciplinary, “out-the-door” learning approach rooted in real-world problems that build active, engaged and empathetic citizens. ECS Grows Citizens.
About Dr. Jimyse L. Brown
Dr. Brown is the first African-American Executive Director of a space museum in Pennsylvania and the first African-American director globally of a museum focused on career readiness for the 21st-century space industry. Dr. Brown holds a Ph.D. in Community Engagement, a Master of Science in Business Management and a Bachelor of Science in Sports and Event Management.
About Community Forge
Community Forge’s programming seeks to reach out and empower communities that do not receive equitable resources and investment to reach their highest potential. It takes on closing the digital divide, creating a more equitable economy in tech and small business, empower youth, prevent and heal violence and family trauma, and sustain a platform of relationships and resources that uplifts human beings to their highest potential.
Photo Caption:
Dr. Jimyse L. Brown served as ECMS’s keynote speaker for its mid-year Quest Lab check-in assembly on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, answering questions students had about the aerospace industry.
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