Carolina Biological Supply Company’s New Young Innovators Program Inspires Students with K-12 Students’ Inventions

Carolina helps students envision themselves as science innovators through free stories about regular students including singing You Can Be ABC’s first-grader Sam White who turned ideas into products

BURLINGTON, N.C.--()--Leading school science supplier Carolina Biological launched the Young Innovators program to highlight student inventions and inspire students and teachers to see that all students can succeed in STEM. As educators and students return to class this fall, these high-interest profiles are free digital resources perfect for engaging students in learning science, while promoting equity and inclusion. One of the first Innovators of the Month to be featured is six-year old Robert Samuel White III (Sam). Sam White, whose amazing new take on a traditional ABC song encourages other students to think about the jobs they could have as they learn the letters of the alphabet. A video of Sam singing his co-written song, “You Can Be ABCs,” with his dad went viral on social media last fall. What started as a simple idea to make learning fun for Sam turned into a sensational video and soon to be book that parents and teachers can use with their students who are learning to read. Sam has also recorded a new video for Carolina, featuring STEM careers to educate young students about jobs in science. The new site www.CarolinaYoungInnovators.com launched with 12 Young Innovator profiles and will recognize their accomplishments by honoring a Young Innovator of the Month every month. Teachers are encouraged to nominate students.

Profile pages and free digital literacy cards for each Young Innovator are available now in K-12 reading levels in English and Spanish. Carolina is celebrating the launch with a Facebook contest through August. Four winners will receive a Young Innovators poster and T-shirt, plus a signed copy of Sam’s book.

“We just made up the song and made our video last fall to keep learning fun and to inspire our little boy Sam that he could be anything in life,” said Robert “Bobby” White, Sam’s dad and co-author of “You Can Be ABCs” song and book. “His mom and I both put great value on education and we are no TikTokers! I put it on Facebook for fun and it went viral! It made us realize that Sam could inspire other kids too. It’s hard to count how many views it got, but at least 20 million. Ellen DeGeneres had him on her TV show in November to sing the song and shared in a Tweet of the clip afterward that ’You Can Be ABCs‘ might be one of her favorite things of 2020. And she invited us back on The Ellen Show in January.”

“This was one of those things we didn’t see coming,” said Bobby. “We created a platform to introduce kids to ideas about everything they can be and literacy. Even if they change their mind 20 times, it’s important that children are thinking about what they might want to be in the future and that they have a goal! ”

“Showing students in kindergarten and up examples of like students who identified and solved problems with science and applauding their work is the idea behind our Young Innovators program,” said Jim Parrish, President and CEO at Carolina Biological Supply Company. “Seeing is believing and it is so important to recognize and share real-world and current stories to help all students believe that they can be successful in science and STEM careers. Their ideas are making a difference, from Ahmed Muhammad who created a company that provides STEM kits for kids, to Annie Ostojic who figured out how to make microwaves cook more evenly! These are great good news features that teachers can use to lead discussions and start off science lessons.”

Carolina is celebrating some creative and amazing Young Innovators nationwide and sharing their stories. Easton LaChappelle’s (14) robotic hand made from LEGOs led to affordable prostheses. Joaquin Haces-Garcia’s (12) car seat alarm keeps babies safer. Deepika Kurup (14) created a new way to purify water. Augusta Uwamanzu-Nna (17), created an underwater cement to prevent oil rig catastrophes. And Raymond Wang’s (17) innovation reduces disease transmission on airplanes.

Ahmed Muhammad (17) wants kids to know they can do science, so he created kits to inspire them. Microwave ovens may cook more efficiently, thanks to Annie Ostojic (13). Devon (14) and Trevor Langley (11) created an app to make math easier for students with dyslexia. Girls can code, and Olivia Thomas’ (17) games and workshops prove it. Shemar Coombs’ (19) creation keeps headphone wires tangle-free.

Contacts

Julie Gates for Carolina Biological Supply Company
562-429-5972 or jgatespr@yahoo.com

Release Summary

School science leader Carolina Biological launched Young Innovators program to highlight K-12 student inventions and inspire kids and teachers in STEM

Social Media Profiles

Contacts

Julie Gates for Carolina Biological Supply Company
562-429-5972 or jgatespr@yahoo.com