Ohio National Guard News
| Musician-teacher competes globally |
Story by Spc. Chad Menegay AKRON, Ohio—At the end of the school day you can find Ohio Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Steven Frantz happily joking with colleagues in the main office of Roswell Kent Middle School here, where he teaches middle school science. Frantz, a trumpet player with the 122nd Army Band in Columbus, Ohio, claims he’s happy after 20 years of teaching, because he loves his job. But, he might also be so jovial, because he’s really good at his job. How good? Frantz is too modest to admit it, but think national championship good. A team of four Roswell Kent female students won the 2008 Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) national competition, an event conducted every four years. Frantz was the teacher-coach of this team, which gained local celebrity, becoming known as the “SATELLITE Girls.” “As far as we can tell we had never had a national championship in academics or athletics come out of Akron public schools before, so it was definitely a big time event here for our community” Frantz said. The science project, titled “This is Why I’m Hot,” grew out of an observation Frantz made that snow lasts longer in his hometown of Smithville, Ohio, than it does in Akron. The team then went about recording surface temperatures throughout Ohio, comparing urban versus rural environments. “Asphalt retains this heat and affects the areas around it,” Frantz said. “Here in the city we have these big heat sinks. The darker the color, the more it’s going to absorb heat,” Frantz said. The students worked alongside local university professors and other public schools. The findings were shared with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and even referenced in university research projects. “They really are doing scientific work and people really are taking their work seriously and using the work that they do,” Frantz said. “It definitely becomes relevant and real at that point to the kids.” The extracurricular GLOBE program, primarily funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation, continues at Roswell Kent under the supervision of Frantz. “We have one student this year looking into using asphalt covered areas as a heat source,” Frantz said. The heat is definitely being absorbed. Can we use this as something beneficial?” Frantz asked. “Science is pretty much the center of Frantz’s life,” said Sgt. Ty Bowers of Bucyrus, Ohio, tuba player for the 122nd. “At annual training, he’ll take some time to go out into the woods and find snakes, keep them in containers and take them back to his classrooms,” Bowers said. Bowers said although middle school and the National Guard are two different worlds, Frantz manages to bring his teaching experience to use for Army Warrior Task training, providing pointers on lesson preparation. “At this point in my career the National Guard gives me a chance to provide guidance to and mentor a lot of the younger troops,” Frantz said. “Especially in the band field it’s important, because you’re carrying on a lot of the Army’s legacy through ceremonies.” According to Frantz, the National Guard has made him a better leader and teacher. He says that the structure of the military brings structure to the classroom. Apparently, the reverse holds true as well. “It may sound funny, but he does incredibly well putting together bulletin boards that are full of information to teach and make the band aware of Equal Employment Opportunity issues. You can definitely see the teacher coming out of him in that,” said 122nd Army Band Sgt. 1st Class Jim Cato of Cedarville, Ohio. “He’s a people person, Cato said. “He’s a great listener and conversationalist. These are traits that have helped make him a great teacher and good unit member.” -30-
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