When the Weather Walked Into the Cafeteria
Curiosity was in the forecast at Wylie East Elementary
There’s something special about a cafeteria full of third graders who’ve just been told a meteorologist is coming.
The chatter rises like warm air before a thunderstorm. Sneakers tap against the tile floor. Heads crane forward in anticipation. And when Caiden Dinkins, Chief Meteorologist at KTXS, stepped to the front of a packed Wylie East Elementary cafeteria, you could feel it. Curiosity was definitely in the forecast.
It was her very first visit to Wylie ISD, and our Bulldogs welcomed her with wide eyes, thoughtful questions, and the kind of focus you usually only see when something really matters.
“What’s the weather?” she asked.
Hands shot up.
Sunny. Windy. A little chilly.
That’s where the science began.
Caiden explained that meteorology is all about measuring the atmosphere. Temperature. Wind speed. Cloud cover. Rainfall. Then she takes all of that information and helps families know what to expect. Jackets or tank tops. Snow boots or sneakers. Those decisions start long before the morning bell rings.
When she told them she used to wake up at 1 a.m. for the morning shift, the cafeteria practically gasped. One in the morning. While most of Abilene was still deep asleep, she was already studying radar and preparing forecasts. Today she works evenings, juggling nearly a dozen computer screens tracking weather models, radar, and data from the National Weather Service.
Ten computers. That got their attention.
But the real wide-eyed moment came when she talked about severe weather.
With a simple blow dryer and tiny foam particle, Caiden demonstrated how hail forms. Water droplets rise, freeze, melt, and rise again until they become too heavy and fall. Third graders leaned forward as the “hail” bounced and tumbled in the air stream.
And when she explained the difference between a watch and a warning, she made it relatable.
A watch is like having all the taco ingredients ready. A warning means the tacos are made.
You could almost see the light bulbs turn on.
She talked about safe places. Hallways. Closets. Bathrooms. She encouraged every student to go home and ask their families where theirs is. It wasn’t frightening. It was empowering. Knowing what to do makes all the difference.
The questions kept coming.
What color shows a tornado on radar?
How do hurricanes appear?
What’s the hottest temperature ever recorded in Abilene?
A sizzling 113 degrees.
Caiden answered each one with patience and enthusiasm. She even shared photos she has taken of West Texas sunsets, towering storm clouds, and a rare sun dog, that tiny rainbow shimmer that appears beside the sun when ice crystals fill the sky.
Somewhere between hailstones and hurricanes, something shifted.
Science stopped being just another subject on a schedule and started feeling like a real possibility.
For some of those third graders, meteorology may now be more than the weather report before school. It might be a future. A calling. A reason to look up at the clouds a little longer.
We are grateful to Caiden Dinkins for spending her morning with our students and for reminding us that big dreams often begin in small moments, even in a cafeteria filled with excited whispers.
When professionals from our community step into our schools and our students lean in with curiosity, something powerful takes shape.
And once again, we are reminded why it’s great to be a Wylie Bulldog. 🐾
