Fickett Elementary recently held STEM Day on May 3, 2013. The event was sponsored by the UPS Foundation. During STEM Day, falculty and staff engaged the students at Fickett in a variety of STEM activities to allow them to preview some of the programs for the school’s pilot year. Students in grades 3-5 participated in engineering design projects, and K-2 students attended an in-house field trip that allowed them to understand and learn more about Fickett’s robotics program. Students were also able to view technology and science district fair projects, learn about WeDo robotics and engineering in the elementary curriculum, tour STEM labs, and work with the upper grade students on engineering projects.
On March 14th, Communities in Schools invited 25 eighth grade girls from Coan Middle School to attend a college access conference focusing on S.T.E.M and nonconventional careers for women. The event was held at Georgia Institute of Technology and was funded through a College Access Challenge Grant (CAGC). The young women were privileged to receive special mentorship from motivational speakers in the fields for science, math, and technology. The events included breakout sessions about college and career planning, a tour of the campus, and hands on S.T.E.M. activities. Lunch and transportation to and from the event was sponsored and coordinated by CIS.
Tiera Booker uses EdHeads to design a futuristic cell phone.
The students had a fantastic experience learning about the opportunities for girls in S.T.E.M. careers. Kiara Mahoney raved, “I had a great time on the trip to Georgia Tech. (The college) has so many opportunities for different classes. It made a huge impact on my life!” The breakout sessions included topics such as Dollars for S.T.E.M. Scholars, Why Geek is the New Chic, Think College Now, and S.T.E.M. Resources form Texas Instruments.
This event provided students the opportunity to begin planning for college and their future careers earlier than most. Vickie Johnson, Coan Middle CIS Site Coordinator, was extremely impressed with both the level of exposure provided to the girls as well as the projected impact on their futures. “The students were engaged and excited about meeting the CEO of Lockheed, an African-American female. They asked for more activities like this in the future.”
Olympia Worthen does an elevated speech about herself.
The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia has been leading efforts for the CACG grant since 2008. Communities in Schools of Atlanta (CIS) has been making a difference in the lives of the students at Coan Middle School since 2006. This was the first opportunity for the Atlanta Public Schools CIS community to participate in this event.
For additional information, please visit http://www.cisatlanta.org.
The IBM Corporation and Luther Judson Price Middle School have been school partners since 2007.
The IGN.I.T.E Technology Academy is for the boys and it stands for Igniting Interest in Technology and Engineering. Boys are selected from the seventh and eighth grades to participate. Under the direction of Genelle Betterson and Arnold Dones, the boys work in teams, create vision boards, build structures to solve problems, debug computers and build and program robots.
The boys come up with their own names for their teams and function as engineers to complete tasks assigned to them. Various IBM employees visit them and offer their assistance and expertise to the IGN.I.T.Ers. The boys traveled to the Highlands IBM building and performed engineering tasks alongside engineers in various departments. At the end of the academy, the boys highlighted what they learned in a showcase to their parents and families.
In addition to providing an opportunity to have fun, the boys are exposed to many of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) standards. With the introduction of Common Core Standards, every grade level must integrate college and career readiness.
The EX.I.T.E Technology Academy is for our young ladies. EX.I.T.E stands for Exploring Interest in Technology and Engineering. Under the direction of Lisa Haygood, 1985 Price High School Alumni, the EX.I.T.Ers complete some of the same activities as the IGN.I.T.E Academy boys such as the vision boards and team work to solve problems that an engineer would need to solve. The girls travel to the Clark Atlanta University Center where they tour the college library, visit classrooms, eat at the school cafeteria and meet the Spelbots (the Spelman Robotics Team). The college trip is a great deal of fun for the girls and an eye opener as they discover and learn what college life is like and that they can attend and thrive in college when they work hard and focus.
IBM provides many educational experiences for the students at Price beyond the EX.I.T.E and IGN.I.T.E Academies. They have provided opportunities for students to e-mentor with members of the IBM family, participate in the Introduce a Girl to Engineering in February, Engineering Week activities, and IBM Career Day. The IBM family is always available to support the Mighty Price Wildcats!
written by Mrs. Tammy Rosado, Media Specialist at Price Middle School
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