Wiregrass library invests in science, local history and learning for life
Story by Allison Law Photos by Alyze Collier Photography
In the small Henry County town of Abbeville, a multi-faceted educational resource has taken shape over the last decade, one that its founders hope will become a learning hub for the region and perhaps a model for other small towns.
On the picturesque town square is the ATTA Library of STEM and History, created to inspire learning about STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), provide educational opportunities that aren’t readily available in the region, and pique the interest of young people in career paths that involve STEM subjects.
Beyond the student-level experience, the ATTA is also meant to equip educators who bring learning to life; 142 educators have already been trained there. Another part of its mission is to bring leaders in business and industry together to invest in the future of the Wiregrass region: The library’s “Dream It, Do It” day in late April was set to bring nearly 1,000 eighth-graders to town to meet with professionals in several professions, including bioscience, robotics and advanced manufacturing.
To encourage young people to consider jobs in the science and engineering fields, a station in the library provides information on different career pathways, including real uniforms that young ones can try on to picture their dream career.
Nicey Eller, a member of the ATTA advisory board, told those gathered at the grand opening in late March that across 10 counties, 146 workforce surveys were collected, and that more than 20 organizations are working together to create connections, share resources and unite the Wiregrass.
“Leaders from across southeast Alabama are coming together to build partnerships and strengthen our workforce and our communities,” says Kate Killebrew, executive director of the ATTA.
The grand opening was more for the community than for children, judging from the large attendance of local adults, elected officials and regional dignitaries. Of course, the library is designed to be an educational resource for young people, but it will also be a repository for the stories of people of the region. There is also a large database of area history that will be continually updated.
The local history component includes a collection of artifacts but is intended to be more about storytelling, Killebrew says. “We hear great stories that need to be told and remembered,” she says, noting that a local woman finds these kinds of stories and writes a short script, finds local people to record audio, and turns the information over to a videographer, who puts in the visuals, including old family photos.
“You don’t have to read a book to get their story,” Killebrew says. “It’s told in a custom two-minute video that we created.”
But make no mistake – the ATTA is created as a learning space for young people who’ve grown up in a technology-driven world. The exhibits are interactive and hands-on, and designed to broaden the students’ understanding of STEM subjects. Among the exhibits: a high-tech sand box, which uses augmented reality to change the topography of the sand; a race-car building exhibit with a racetrack, donated by the McWane Center in Birmingham, to explore physics, engineering and design; a panel dedicated to space exploration; and brain games, such as a mindball game, where the user controls a ball with brain waves.
Other learning centers, such as the McWane, donated exhibits and shared ideas and operational information with the ATTA. “We knew since we were in a small town with a small footprint, (we would need to visit) various museums, and we picked the best of the best,” Killebrew says. “We weren’t trying to reinvent the wheel with anything. We picked out what already worked across the U.S. and the world, and we contacted exhibit designers really from all over the world.”
For centers like the McWane, it’s a mutual benefit to help a library like the ATTA, because they’re expanding their outreach as well. “It’s all about working together and reaching the most students.”
The ATTA … and the name
The ATTA is named for Susie Ezzell Atta, who was from the Wiregrass and defied the traditional educational norms of the late 1940s by pursuing graduate studies in mathematics. Most universities in Alabama wouldn’t admit her, telling her that women weren’t allowed to earn a master’s degree in mathematics. She persisted and eventually was admitted to the University of Alabama and earned a master’s degree in math in the early 1950s.
She went on to work for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, where she met and married George Atta. The couple eventually moved to Washington, D.C., to work with the National Institute of Health as two of the top mathematicians in the country.
An information panel at the ATTA describes her work: “Susie conducted research on the mathematical and theoretical aspects of biological problems. She used differential equations to explain how oxygen travels through the bloodstream and how it is absorbed in the body.” George worked in the fields of pathology, biochemistry and biology.
Her humble beginnings and eventual success in her field led her to want to give back to her small town. She also felt it was important to recognize that people who do great things come from small towns and wanted a permanent way to showcase them.
Susie asked her nephew, Lester Killebrew, to use her estate to bring her vision to life: To create a center of learning for all ages, with a focus on STEM and history, while also inspiring the next generation by remembering those who’ve already done amazing things.
When Susie died in 2014, Lester got to work on what would become the ATTA, and brought his daughter, Kate, on board; Kate used her background in interior design to help with the initial concept of using the space and her connections with technical professionals to work on the high-tech aspects of the library. An advisory board was formed, which included educators and representatives from such areas as economic development, government, agriculture and non-profits to lend their expertise.
Lester knew his aunt well, and thinks Susie would be proud of how the ATTA has turned out. “She was a perfectionist; she wanted everything done just right. That’s the way we’ve tried to do it. We really think we’re going to help younger people and their lives and what they can accomplish.”
Despite very little marketing, the ATTA – which is registered as a 501(c)3 non-profit – has drawn school groups as well as adults from both the local area and the surrounding states. There is no admission fee, though a small fee is requested for field trips. Walk-ins are welcome from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, and field trips are on Wednesdays. The address is 114 South Court Square in Abbeville; visit the-atta.org for more information.
