Spring is in full swing!

Leah Kinne

At The Discovery, our success is measured by the blossoming of those we serve.  We regularly evaluate the impact of our programs, and on occasion, we meet someone who clearly embodies all we are trying to accomplish.

Her name is Leah Kinne. In 2024, Leah began working as a Camp Discovery educator. We recognized her talent right away and she was promoted from assistant to lead educator in the summer of 2025. She has worked as a camp educator ever since.

Leah grew up visiting The Discovery and attending our camps. She has fond memories of those experiences and said it has been fun being on the other side. What she loves about being an educator is the opportunity to help kids explore STEM in a fun way, outside of the school environment.

At Galena High she was encouraged by some of her teachers to pursue education as a career. She thought as early as 4^th grade that she might want to be a teacher, coming from a long line of teachers, including her grandmother, aunts and great grandparents.Leah is currently a freshman at the University of Nevada, Reno. As part of the Nevada Teach Program, she is pursuing a double major in Secondary Education and Math where they are teaching her to engage the students through exploratory, hands-on learning, rather than just through reading a textbook, allowing her to use those skills she has developed at The Discovery.

She believes hands-on learning, like what is experienced at Camp Discovery, is critically important, sparking curiosity and interest in STEM.  She has seen the excitement on students’ faces while working as a camp educator.  And she sees it on the faces of the guests visiting the museum as well.

At The Discovery, we are tending a community garden of STEM learners, from young sprouts through adulthood, building a lifetime of engaging science experiences. Together, we are creating a bouquet of STEM leaders, like Leah, who will enrich our community.

Your support will allow us to expand our Discovery for All financial assistance offerings to ensure everyone in our community has access to the museum, encourage more girls to enter STEM fields through our EMPOW[HER] Collective for Women & Girls in STEM, bring an exciting new featured exhibition to the museum, Above & Beyond (May 2026-Jan. 2027), and help us maintain and repair our building (the original City Hall, which was built 60 years ago, and requires regular and extensive maintenance).