The APS Midtown Cluster Bridges STEAM Education Across Generations with Signature Events

Slideshow: Photos from the Midtown STEAM Cluster Expo. Photo: Allison M. Slocum, APS ©

The Midtown Cluster schools have intentionally prioritized STEAM education as a cornerstone of their curriculum. This spring, two major events, the Midtown Cluster STEAM Expo and the Midtown High School STEAM Carnival, brought these subjects to life for students across all grade levels.

The Midtown Cluster STEAM Expo marked its third year, attracting about 200 students from Hope-Hill Elementary, Mary Lin Elementary, Morningside Elementary, Virginia-Highland Elementary, Centennial Academy, Howard Middle School, and Midtown High School, who convened at Springdale Park Elementary for the day’s activities.

Midtown High School students like sophomores Jessica Cho and Kebra Luckett took on leadership roles, guiding elementary and middle school students through the day’s activities. Their assignment included assisting with the Starlab dome, an interactive astronomy and environmental science exhibit.

Midtown High School sophomores Jessica Cho and Kebra Luckett volunteered with the Starlab. Photo: Allison M. Slocum, APS ©

“The lesson is about light pollution. The students get to see the stars and imagine what the sky would be like without light pollution,” Luckett said.

“The students watched a five-minute video and then wrote in their journals about what would have happened if light pollution weren’t a problem,” Cho added.

The event featured hands-on activities and experiments designed to engage students in the critical thinking and interdisciplinary approaches that define STEAM education. Interactive lessons included virtual reality, hydroponics, and a slime-making activity simulating ocean plastic pollution.

APS Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson engages with students at the Midtown STEAM Cluster Expo. Photo: Allison M. Slocum, APS ©

Kristin Siembieda, the STEAM program specialist at Springdale Park Elementary School, said that most careers are leaning towards STEAM in an impactful way. The Expo was the cluster’s way of spreading the importance of STEAM at every grade level.

“We don’t know what the jobs are going to be in the future, but you have to be able to understand engineering design processes and how the subjects integrate together and are interdisciplinary,” Siembieda said. “Without that, [students are] going to have a hard time in the world as they graduate.”

Slideshow: Photos from the Midtown High School STEAM Carnival. Photo: Allison M. Slocum, APS ©

Following the success of the Expo, Midtown High School hosted its third annual STEAM Carnival and shifted the focus toward high school-level curriculum while maintaining an emphasis on experiential learning. The carnival brought together a variety of STEAM-related activities, including a vendor exhibit and college fair where students engaged with representatives from STEAM programs, the military, and agricultural companies.

“The carnival is a way to introduce students to the complex aspects of STEAM in a manner that is not intimidating,” STEAM signature program specialist at Midtown High School Stacey M. Tanner said. “The kids have fun while experiencing the interconnectedness of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.”

In addition to the educational exhibits on nanotechnology, robotics, and astronomy, the Carnival featured performances, such as a flamenco dance lesson and a production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute by the Atlanta Opera, in collaboration with the Center for Puppetry Arts.

Each birdcage was created with inspiration from Mozart’s opera, The Magic Flute. Photo credit: Allison M. Slocum, APS ©

Students from Midtown High School’s engineering and art departments also participated, creating and decorating birdhouses in homage to the opera’s bird-catcher character.

Adding art, dance, and opera to the carnival supported Tanner’s overarching goal of getting the students so excited about STEAM that they would also influence the teachers’ excitement.

“I am a product of North Atlanta High School when it was still a performing arts magnet school,” Tanner said. “The experiences I received there gave me a lifelong appreciation for fine and performing arts. My father was a computer service engineer. His expectations of us with technology provided a STEAM foundation for me before the concept evolved.”

Features like the Starlab, the Amphibian Foundation, which brought live animals for students to interact with, and the Georgia Aquarium, which provided educational displays on aquatic science, rounded out the carnival’s diverse offerings.

Both the Midtown STEAM expo and carnival expanded the scope of traditional instruction by applying lessons to real-world explorations and encouraging student leadership. By making a concerted effort to collaborate on the cluster’s vision, they spark curiosity and prepare students for a rapidly evolving future.