Mesa students step in front of the camera for a hands-on lesson in forecasting

MESA, AZ — Students at Keller Elementary School in Mesa recently got a hands-on lesson in what it’s like to be a meteorologist, stepping in front of the camera to deliver their own weather forecasts.

As part of the Kidcasters program, ABC15 visited Keller’s fourth-grade classrooms, where weather isn’t just something students watch on TV — it’s built into their curriculum.

Throughout the day, students learned about severe weather, from EF-5 tornadoes to Arizona’s monsoon season, and then put their knowledge to the test. With scripts in hand, they practiced delivering their forecasts just like a real meteorologist, even tackling bilingual forecasts in both English and Spanish.

“It’s part of our fourth-grade curriculum,” said Keller Elementary School Principal Christel Arbogast. “Students were really excited. Teachers were really excited to have somebody who actually knows about weather and works with weather come in and talk to the students.”

Keller Elementary is a dual-language immersion school, where students learn in both English and Spanish from kindergarten through sixth grade. The goal is to develop students who are bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural; skills that were on full display during their weathercasting experience.

While the day was filled with fun and excitement, it also sparked curiosity about future careers in science, technology, and meteorology.

“You probably planted the seed today for some of our students, who are our future scientists, future mathematicians,” Arbogast said. “They get to see how their favorite subject applies to something in the real world.”

Kidcaster Emily gives your Monday morning forecast from Keller Elementary School

Kidcaster Emmanuel gives your Tuesday morning forecast from Keller Elementary School