Last week, West Elementary kindergartners got a special opportunity as an extension of their AMSTI science lessons – a special, in-person presentation by WHNT 19’s chief meteorologist Jason Simpson.

Simpson read “Bear Snores On” to the children and talked with them about all types of weather, including tornadoes and – a student favorite – snow.

The talk was arranged by kindergarten teacher Jennifer Cox. All kindergarten classes were in the middle of a unit on weather. Cox’s husband is a weather enthusiast, and she said she initially asked him to find out if Simpson would Facetime her class – but he offered to come speak to the entire kindergarten in person.

“Our students have been so excited. We’ve been watching him all week long,” Cox said. “I hope they gain an interest in weather and understand that if you love the weather, that can be a life goal – you can be a leader of weather.”

Principal Deanna Hollimon said the visit was a great learning opportunity for the students. “This makes it more real to them,” she said. “We’ll probably have a lot of future weathermen and women after today.”

Students presented a gift basket with tokens of appreciation to Simpson following his talk. He said meeting with students is something he always enjoys doing.

“As a kid I can remember how much fun it was to have a visitor,” Simpson said. “For me, it’s fun to get out of the office for awhile … I want them to remember that weather is a serious thing – we can have fun with it, but it’s also very serious.”