How Merrimack Valley Middle School Brings Learning to Life with Discovery Education Experience
Success Stories
Merrimack Valley Middle School
Penacook, New Hampshire
Meet Shelby Kilmister: Innovative Educator at Merrimack Valley Middle School
Shelby Kilmister, a veteran science teacher at Merrimack Valley Middle School (MVMS), believes education goes far beyond the pages of a textbook. Her innovative teaching approach is anchored in hands-on activities and real-world experiences, like raising chickens to teach farming or running a fishing community project—and leaning on technology like Discovery Education Experience to help her bring science to life.
Thanks to a strategic statewide partnership between Discovery Education and the state, many schools in New Hampshire leverage Discovery Education Experience, a K-12 learning platform with high-quality, real-world content and flexible teaching tools. Merrimack Valley’s 1:1 Chromebook program provides easy access to the platform, allowing Shelby to fully embrace Experience in her daily lessons.
Supporting Merrimack Valley's Approach to Teaching Science
Shelby and her colleagues find Discovery Education Experience user-friendly, engaging, and essential to bringing the real world into their classrooms. The platform aligns seamlessly with MVMS’s sixth-grade science curriculum, streamlining the lesson-planning process and ensuring students meet academic standards.
Specifically, the pre-built activities and library of carefully vetted content in Experience saves educators countless hours of preparation and online searching for supplemental materials. Professional learning support from Discovery Education’s New Hampshire team, such as targeted online trainings, ensures MVMS educators get everything they need out of the dynamic platform.
Discovery Education Experience also empowers Shelby to address the diverse learning needs of her students. MVMS’s inclusive model results in a mix of learning levels in each classroom. Shelby relies on Experience to ensure all students learn at their own pace without compromising essential skills development like critical thinking and problem solving. For example, she uses DEmystified, a popular phenomena-based science series from DE, because it simplifies complex topics into student-friendly explanations. “I don’t have to scaffold my students’ learning when using Experience because the program does it for me,” notes Shelby.
Shelby continues to lead the way at Merrimack Valley in using Experience regularly to engage students and support curricular needs. From exploring exciting STEM careers to taking virtual field trips introducing innovative technology, the content is deeply engaging and guides students in active learning—they see, hear, read, and investigate science concepts, according to Shelby.
Transforming Science Learning, One Lightbulb Moment at a Time
Discovery Education Experience usage has grown at MVMS since 2021, especially among science teachers, and Shelby appreciates the impact it has on her students. Whether mastering critical thinking or grasping a scientific concept fully, she has witnessed a significant shift in her students’ engagement and success.
Her students now arrive to class excited for what’s next, which Shelby notes drives their curiosity in science: “What we can offer students with Experience gets them so excited and builds the foundation for a lifelong interest in science and the world around them.”
Discovery Education Experience is an invaluable tool for Shelby and countless other educators. Her story is just one example of how incorporating the platform into daily lessons fosters a classroom experience where all students can thrive, preparing them for a dynamic future.
Quick Facts
School Details
- Serving nearly 500 students in grades 6-8 at Merrimack Valley School District
- Partnered with Discovery Education since 2021
Solutions
- Discovery Education Experience
Classroom Application
- Supplemental science instruction