Curriculum Director Kosha Patel recently visited Franklin Central School to watch Kurt Valenta — known to students as "Mr. K" — lead hands-on science lessons for kindergarten and preschool students. In one class, students learned to identify insect body parts and created their own insects using ink stamps. In another, they explored how seeds travel and spread, touching and examining real specimens. Teachers describe his visits as transformational. "He has given the children the gift of uncovering the magic that exists right outside their door," said one preschool teacher. Valenta has been collaborating with elementary teachers at Swanton, Highgate, and Franklin since 2021.