The STEM Class Podcast

At the age of 15 as a Navajo Native American, Peter MacDonald enlisted in the US Marines simply because he admired the official uniform. Shortly after boot camp, he was recruited into a secret military program that would rely on a language that has no written form for what would later be known as a Navajo Code Talker.

The code talkers were pivotal during the Battle of Iwo Jima, a 6week intense battle that resulted in 25,000 casualties on both sides. From a group of 450 Navajo Native Americans, MacDonald is only one of five surviving Navajo Code Talkers and he shares his life experience with The Route 66 Podcast. After the war, MacDonald was sworn to a code of secrecy for the next 23 years while working as a Project Engineer for Howard Hughes on The Polaris Missile Project. MacDonald also served as a Chairman of the Navajo Nation for four terms.

In addition to MacDonald, Route 66 realtor Jacque Kellogg talks about her initial reaction when a local motel owner in Flagstaff reluctantly decides to list the El Reno Motel on the market. Unknown to her, Kellogg later learns that the motel has a historic place in history regarding the Navajo code talkers and the motel was later taken off the market.

Episode Highlights

• Flagstaff realtor Jacque Kellogg talks about the El Reno Motel and role in recruiting Navajo code talkers
• Peter MacDonald's earliest memory of Route 66
• Enlisting at the age of 15 into the US Marines
• The Native American art of storytelling
• Understanding a language with no written word
• The turning point on Iwo Jima
• A 23 year code of silence after returning home
• A recent visit to the White House
• An impressive career as a missile defense specialist with Howard Hughes
• Hopes of establishing a national Navajo code talkers museum
• What everyone should know about Navajo code talkers
• Today's biggest challenges for the Navajo Nation

Route 66 Patreon Program The Route 66 Podcast has launched a Patreon campaign, where you can pledge a monthly donation to help support both the podcast and 2021 Scholarship Program. The Route 66 Scholarship Program not only includes awards for students in grades K – 12, but will include a 2021 college level award. More information about the Patreon program, including monthly prizes for supporters can be found here.

Kobie Boykins, is the NASA Project Engineer for the solar panels on all of the Mars Rovers- Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, and the newest project- Perseverance.

Boykins talks all about his most memorable teachers growing up, how he approaches playing with LEGO's and other toys with his young children, and NASA rovers that have jammed up at 150 million miles from earth and what was learned from that experience.

The STEM Class Podcast is the show where teachers looking to incorporate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics into their classrooms can hear the latest ideas taking place by people just like you.

Whether you're teaching a specialized STEM class or you just want to sprinkle a bit of STEM into your everyday lessons, this is the place for all things STEM.

You'll not only hear from STEM teachers, but also popular authors, and leaders in the STEM field to discuss best practices for incorporating STEM into your everyday teaching routine.

Be sure to catch both current and past episodes at TheSTEMClass.com.

Lynette Stant is the current Arizona State Teacher of the Year, teaching elementary school with a strong STEM emphpasis. She is also the first Native American Teacher of the Year, as a member of the Navajo tribe.

Join host Anthony Arno as he talks with Lynette all about the challenges that she faces as a teacher on a Reservation, her award winning grant of $500K to promote STEM in a district with less than 400 students, and what she expects to say to the President when she meets him.

The STEM Class Podcast is the show where teachers looking to incorporate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics into their classrooms can hear the latest ideas taking place by people just like you.

Whether you're teaching a specialized STEM class or you just want to sprinkle a bit of STEM into your everyday lessons, this is the place for all things STEM.

You'll not only hear from STEM teachers, but also popular authors, and leaders in the STEM field to discuss best practices for incorporating STEM into your everyday teaching routine.

Be sure to catch both current and past episodes at TheSTEMClass.com.

The very first episode of The STEM Class Podcast features Andy Weir, author of The Martian and motion picture featuring Matt Damon.

Andy talks about what it was like writing his very first book, The Martian, which took almost 10 years to write- and knowing whatever else he did would never be as big The Martian; the only 1 thing in the movie that might not be accurate but everything else could occur someday; and his thoughts on teaching STEM in the classroom.

The STEM Class podcast is the show where teachers looking to incorporate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics into their classrooms can hear the latest ideas taking place by people just like you.

Whether you're teaching a specialized STEM class or you just want to sprinkle a bit of STEM into your everyday lessons, this is the place for all things STEM.

You'll not only hear from STEM teachers, but also popular authors, and leaders in the STEM field to discuss best practices for incorporating STEM into your everyday teaching routine.

Be sure to catch both current and past episodes at TheSTEMClass.com.

An introduction to The STEM Class Podcast, hosted by Anthony Arno.

Arno successfully bicycled across America as a college student with the support of Calvin Klein while drawing attention towards the plight of cancer patients. After college, Arno worked as a social worker with disabled adults.

Arno began his teaching career in Brooklyn and has received many awards and grants, including being named a 2003 Fulbright Memorial Fund recipient to Japan, participating in an Earthwatch study of the endangered spotted owl in the Sierra-Nevada region of California, participation in NASA's Space Camp, and presenting at the annual NJEA Conference.

In the 1990's Arno used the schools only computer connected to the Internet to learn about historic Route 66 while his students bicycled 2000 miles aboard an exercise bicycle in the back of the classroom. During the year long teaching journey students corresponded with people living and working along the famed highway, including Chicago Mayor Daley and the songwriter Bobby Troup, who wrote the famous tune for Nat King Cole in 1946.

Since the Route 66 experience, Arno hosts a popular podcast highlighting the storied life of Route 66. Guests include cast members from the animated Pixar-Disney classic CARS talking about the research of creating a movie highlighting Route 66, a German POW camp in Oklahoma that allowed the prisoners to work in the community to assist the local economy, and most recently the mayor of Times Beach, a once thriving community of 2,000 residents that was completely purged after dioxin was unknowingly sprayed on the dirt roads to suppress the dust. To date, the town is the largest Superfund site in American history, having spent over $200 million during the 1980's for a clean up. Every home, every government vehicle, and even the water tower has been buried into a specially created vault the size of four football fields.

Arno recently retired from teaching 5th grade in New Jersey and began his second teaching career in Pennsylvania as middle school STEM teacher. During the summer Arno has taught enrichment classes, including Soda Bottle Rockets, Micowave Cooking, History of Magic in America, and Forensics 101: The Lindbergh Trial.

Arno has also hosted a podcast for educators that features talks with nationally recognized teachers. A recent guest was former educator June Scobee Rogers, widow of Challenger Space Shuttle Commander Dick Scobee. June talks candidly with Arno about being raised by a mentally ill mother, marrying at the age of 16 so that she could raise her younger brothers, working with Teacher in Space Christa McAuliffe, and life after Challenger, where she has created a network of space education centers that has benefited over 4 million children since the Challenger accident 30 years ago.

In this inaugural episode of The STEM Class podcast, Arno talks about his background and upcoming guests on the podcast, including author of The Martian (Andy Weir) and a real life, 97 year old Rosie the Riveter.