Aware February Template - Public Schools of Robeson County

New PSRC School
Exhibit Unveiled at
Exploration Station
After months of renovations, the new
School Exhibit, The Learning Zone, was
unveiled at the Exploration Station in
Lumberton. The Public Schools of Robeson
County sponsored and built the exhibit.
Administrators and educators alike walked
through the bright-red classroom like exhibit
with bright eyes. The zone has four main
areas to stir a child’s imagination. The first
area is a reading loft with books and two
cozy seating areas for students to read.
Underneath the reading loft is the “Around
the World” Center. The center has multicultural
books, puzzles, musical instruments
and the painting reflects various cultures in
Robeson County. The exhibit also has a
math center with a magnetic board and
magnetic numbers for a variety of math
activities including flashcards and games.
The art center stands out with a giant
paint brush dripping with paint. The art area
has a variety of materials, basic art concept
posters and activities to re-enforce art. The
zone has a traditional blackboard. The rugs
in the area also emphasize numbers,
Spanish words, colors and the individual
states. Dr. Johnny Hunt commended the
Exploration Center staff for helping the
counties young children. “Part of our
mission statement is building a foundation
for lifelong learning. That is only part of that
mission statement and that is what you are
doing here. However we can help and
partner together, we are willing to do that
and it shows that learning can be fun,” said
Superintendent Dr. Johnny Hunt.
The Maintenance employees at PSRC
built the exhibit. Hand painted murals at the
entrance and inside the center can’t be
missed. Arts Education Director Sandi
Carter and art teacher Barbie Coble painted
the murals which include a tree with small
children, children riding birds and children
reading. “I hope students will have fun while
learning and enjoying the space. The whole
space makes you excited about coming in
and investigating everything,” said Carter.
Exploration Station has twelve exhibits
at the center, but the director realized in the
past few years that some of the exhibits
needed to be updated. The facility worked
with business partners to sponsor the
renovations. In the Exploration Station
students can play in a pirate ship, a bank,
the School Zone, a grocery store, hospital,
playhouse and much more. Exploration
Station welcomes 19,000 visitors per year.
“We would not be able to remain the place
we are without the help from our community.
As you know times are hard and funding
has become less and less over the years,
so to be able to pull off a project like this
would not be possible without generous
donations from the public schools, Kiwanis,
and all the wonderful people in the
community who do this for us,” said
Exploration Station Director Brooke Hardee.
LEARNING
Partnership
Teaches Life
skills
PSRC Employees Create
Center for Learning
The center is
located across from
the Public Library at
104 Chestnut Street.
It is open Tuesday
through Saturday.
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