Posted by Sarah Kemp on Feb 21, 2023
Our school was recently selected to become a part of a For the Win Robotics-Build, Fly Code Drones and Amazon Future Engineer grants, which allows students to learn computer science and STEM skills through a variety of hands-on engaging activities.
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Our school was recently selected to become a part of a For the Win Robotics-Build, Fly Code Drones, and Amazon Future Engineer grants, which allows students to learn computer science and STEM skills through a variety of hands-on engaging activities. Through these projects, we have been able to expand our program and increase the number of enrollments in our current STEM and C.S. elective courses. We are also striving to provide a more equitable experience for our students to have within engineering and computer science at the middle school level. This will ultimately help us to continue to spark interest and grow our career pathways program at the high school.
Throughout the past few years, we have been looking to achieve a more equitable experience for our students by exposing them to engineering and computer science activities. The materials provided in these grants have helped us to enhance the student experience, promote excitement, and provide hands-on engagement to allow students to practice these valuable 21st-century skills. Through collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity, we can allow the students to effectively experience these important skills and promote growth within our school and beyond.
I would highly encourage any teacher to apply for either of these awesome opportunities, which will provide an authentic application of NGSS and CSTA standards at the middle school and high school levels. Within a few short years, our school district has greatly expanded elective courses in STEM and Computer Science and exposure to these important skills at a younger age. Our hope is to continue to grow our program and ultimately spark interest and grow our career pathways program at the high school while simultaneously providing opportunities to our underrepresented populations in computer science and STEM.
Amazon Future Engineer | Homepage
BUILD | FLY | CODE | FTW Robotics (ftw-robotics.com)
As a former chemical engineer and seventeen-year science and STEM educator, I feel very passionate about providing opportunities like these to students to help ignite interest and encourage more female students to choose STEM and computer science career pathways. It is a pleasure to be a part of an awesome team of teachers who also support this goal. As an ambassador for the For the Win Robotics, Build/Fly/Code program, I am happy to share more of our experiences with teachers who are interested in creating these types of learning experiences for their students. Please feel free to reach out if you would like information.
About the Author
Sarah Kemp
Science/STEM teacher
Harlan Rowe Middle School
Athens Area School District
skemp@athensasd.k12.pa.us
