Hinesville, Georgia’s Liberty County School District is getting an immersive STEM learning experience as a stop on our Starlab Days tour. The story behind their nomination is one worth telling.
We said from the beginning that Starlab Days would be decided by story, not by metrics. No public vote. No follower counts. Just the quality of what schools shared with us about their students, their community, and why an immersive science experience would matter to them.
Every school on the Starlab Days tour earned their spot. But there’s something about the story Liberty County School District told us in their nomination that speaks to the very reason this program exists.
Liberty County School District is a Title I K-12 district in Hinesville, Georgia, serving approximately 10,000 students near Fort Stewart Army base. Their student population is split between two communities that couldn’t look more different on the surface — military-connected families navigating deployment, transience, and the emotional weight that comes with it, and Hinesville’s longtime residents facing generational poverty and the kind of experience gaps that no textbook has ever successfully closed. For a lot of their students, a school day isn’t just about learning. It’s about being given access to a world that hasn’t always felt like it was built for them.
That’s exactly the kind of community Starlab Days was built for.
When Becky Busby, K-12 Gifted Facilitator for Liberty County School District, submitted their nomination, the case she made was hard to argue with. She described a district that doesn’t just deal with academic gaps — it deals with generational ones. Teachers showing up every day to fill needs that go far beyond what’s covered in any curriculum. Students across every category — special needs, ESOL, gifted, underrepresented, military-connected — who share one thing in common: they deserve an experience that makes them feel like the universe was made for them too. The nomination didn’t ask for a handout. It made a quiet, clear argument that these kids have earned something extraordinary.
In their own words:
“Our students need to be seen and experience the world around them. Starlab is the perfect opportunity to bridge the gap and give our students a once in a lifetime view of our universe. Bringing Starlab into our community would be a true celebration and help to elevate the importance of educational foundations.” — Becky Busby, K-12 Gifted Facilitator, Liberty County School District
Theirs was the kind of nomination that reminded us why we built the program in the first place.
What Liberty County School District Can Expect When the Starlab Arrives
When the Starlab team rolls into Hinesville this, every student will have a chance to see Starlab in action, and Liberty County will have the chance to host local educators as part of our ongoing commitment to STEM enrichment.
Every session is led by trained Starlab facilitators covering astronomy, Earth science, space exploration, meteorology, and more. With a K-12 district this size and a student population this diverse, the dome will see students at every stage of learning — from the youngest kids experiencing the night sky for the first time to older students connecting what they see overhead to the science standards they’ve been working toward all year.
Follow the Tour
Every stop gets documented: the setup, the sessions, the reactions, and the moments that stick with students forever. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to see it all unfold.
Thinking about nominating your school for a future Starlab Days tour? Reach out to get the conversation started.
