The first of three Instrument Petting Zoos was held at Blanchette Elementary School with huge success. Tau Beta Sigma, a national band sorority, teamed up with Students. Occupationally. and Accademically. Ready. 
(S.O.A.R.) and offered students the opportunity to touch, feel and play with musical intrustruments. The program will be offered to all BISD schools that are a N.E.S.T. campus.
“The sisters of Tau Beta Sigma National Band Sorority helped continue this love for education by exposing students to different instruments and thus exposing them to the world of music education,” said Melissa Ehrlich, LU drum major and executive board member for S.O.A.R. "Each N.E.S.T. serves as a learning oasis for students of the Beaumont area."
Several other Instrument Petting Zoos are scheduled for spring 2020 and may become an annual event.Lamar University's Office of Community Relations, Economic Development and Student Access, in collaboration with and support through a generous donation to the LU Foundation from ExxonMobil, will be developing the fourth N.E.S.T. Innovative Learning Lab at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School. Plans for this new partnered campus are moving forward with a proposed ribbon cutting date in late Spring 2020.
