WAITSBURG – It may not be back-to-school time for Waitsburg students yet, but kindergarten teacher Pam Nolan-Nolan-Beasley spent last week in "school," honing her skills along with other select teachers from across the state. She spent the week at the Pacific Northwest National Lab in Richland, Wash. as part of the STEM-IT Now Project, which aims to strengthen the content knowledge and skills of selected expert teachers who are part of the SE LASER (Leadership Alliance for Science Education Reform) Alliance.

Nolan-Beasley undoubtedly qualifies as an "expert teacher." She is not only a member o...