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Canyon County youth tour ITD facilities, learn
advantages of staying in school

School is out but learning did not stop for nearly 100 students from Canyon County middle schools who spent two separate days touring ITD Headquarters and District 3 facilities.

The purple-clad group built towers out of dry spaghetti and marshmallows, participated in chemistry, geotechnical and structural demonstrations, and got to watch materials get stretched, snapped and crushed.

The experience was part of a summer camp for youngsters meant to help keep them in school. Many ITD volunteers stepped up to help Northwest Nazarene University, the “Canyon County Keeping the Promise Coalition,” the Federal Highway Administration and the department’s Human Resource Services office with the education outreach.

“ITD staff never fail to seize every opportunity to help students understand how important education is to their future,” said Michelle George, senior human resources specialist and ITD coordinator for the experience.

“Our volunteers are role models that provide students opportunities to see how knowledge gained in the classroom is applied to real-world challenges,” George explained. “The volunteers often report that working with students through the department’s different education outreach experiences is personally fulfilling and sometimes just great fun.”

The ITD Human Resource Services Office and the Canyon County Keeping the Promise Coalition submitted and received an FHWA grant to fund the two-week camp.

See more photos of the 2C science camp visits to ITD

Making the connection
ITD volunteers who helped make the educational experience a success

ITD rolled out the red carpet and threw open the lab doors to welcome youths from Canyon County participating in a science camp designed to encourage school completion. The experience at ITD wouldn't have been possible without a dedicated cadre of professionals who volunteered their time and expertise. More than 30 volunteers welcomed the youths to the Headquarters campus and District 3. ITD's participants:

• Nestor Fernandez • Karissa Hardy • Mary Lockwood • Shanon Murgoitio • Amy Schroeder • Ron Wright • Cindy Mendoza, • Pam Golden • Elizabeth Healas • Julie Caldwell • Muhammad Zubery • Brett J Purvis • Victoria Jewell Guerra • Karen Blunk • Dan Everhart • Marc Munch • Wes Murphy • Rob Robbins • Norma Tarter • Larry Strough • Joy Finley • Dan Barrera • Paul Hart • Douglas K. McKinney • Steve Spoor • Rebecca Howell • Travis Enzminger • Wayne Hamilton • Blair Barrington • Dianna Hoffecker • Ken Acree • Mike Mcguire • Erika Bowen • Bill Fogg • Greg Wozniak (D3 Res 4) • Mike Sprague • Janie Stillwell • Sandra Alberti • Pauline Davis • Paul Steinman • Chris Alden.