Full STEAM ahead: E.M. School District hosts its largest interactive education night

Posted

East Meadow High School was transformed into a STEAM convention during a night of interactive educational activities on March 8.

Students in kindergarten through eighth grade and their parents took part in more than 70 activities in 65 rooms, which challenged participants’ skills in science, technology, engineering, art and math. While the district has held numerous STEAM-related activities in the past, this was the first districtwide STEAM Night.

“The night was all about expanding the STEAM ecosystem,” said Debra Harley, the district’s director of math and the coordinator of the event.

The activities were overseen by district teachers and National Honor Society students, all of whom volunteered their time. Students crafted origami to look like endangered species, built bridges out of straw and made jewelry in the shape of DNA. All of the activities paralleled lessons students learn in class, but the focus was on teamwork and interactivity.

Among the highlights were the Lego Challenge stations, manned by members of the high school’s Math Honor Society and its adviser, Patrick Walsh. In one engineering-related challenge, students dropped Lego structures from varying heights to see how much damage they would sustain.

In most of the activities, students worked together to solve problems with limited resources. “Students are given problems and challenges to solve collaboratively,” Harley said. “These challenges will enable them to think more critically and creatively while communicating with their peers — all of which will help prepare them for careers in the 21st century.”

The night also included a career panel, led by Susan Carlsen and Jessica Sepulveda, both career teachers at Woodland Middle School. There students learned how professionals use the same principles of science, technology, engineering, art and math that students learn in their classes.