People ask me often what the kids do at the STEM school. Parents got this letter today from the principal so I thought I would pass it on for other parents who are trying to decide if STEM school is a good fit for their kids. Parents, We wanted to share some information with you about PBL (project/problem based learning) work that our students have been doing. We are very excited about the PBL items, and hope you will find them as exciting as well! 11th Grade 11th graders have been working on projects that include Engel Stadium sustainability, EPB holiday window technology, invasive kudzu solution proposals, and storefront designs in the Open Spaces initiative. Below is a summary of what took place yesterday with one of those projects - the Open Spaces initiative. On Thursday, September 18, 2014, five student teams from STEM School Chattanooga presented submissions at the River City Company for the upcoming Open Spaces revitalization event. The first industry partner to host an 11th grade PBL (project based learning) unit this year, the River City Company challenged STEM School student teams to participate in the Open Spaces event by submitting a window installation design and prototype. The River City Company’s inaugural Open Spaces event aims to add life to the traditional business district on the south side of the river by installing vibrant, electrified, interactive art pieces in vacant storefront windows. The River City Company selected and funded approximately 60 winners from their large applicant pool from across the southeastern United States during the open call in the spring. Through the partnership, the student teams from the STEM School were challenged to design and present a prototype for their own window installation to be displayed on Market Street alongside the other winning submissions. At the conclusion of the student presentations Thursday morning, the selection committee was stunned at the quality and originality of the work. River City Company Program Director, Paige Southard, took the selection committee to a breakout room to decide which student team submission would win and gain funding for full implementation. After a lengthy deliberation, they returned to the boardroom full of anxious students with an astonishing announcement. The winning team was Justyn Carter, Noah Hamlen, and Sarah Payne for their “Robot Rock” submission. The installation features animatronic arms that faux play oversized instruments as passersby control them remotely by playing air guitar, air bass, and air drums from the sidewalk. The room was full excitement and disappointment as the winners were announced, but then, to everyone’s surprise, Southard added that, “We had to select one winner because of our logistical constraints, but we were enamored with all of the submissions and would like to fund mini-installations of the remaining four submissions to be displayed at our kickoff event in October!” As a result, the STEM School student teams will have their interactive window installations on display throughout the event in October and you can see the winning submission on Market Street from October through January. 10th Grade 10th graders are well on their way in creating and establishing their innovative tech pieces for the Hunter Museum PBL. They will be going to the Hunter Museum on September 25th to practice presenting and showcasing their work with the Hunter Museum staff. The big day for the 10th grade will be on Sunday, October 5th. All 10th grade student teams are to be at the Hunter Museum for the first free Sunday of the month. Student teams will set up their innovative pieces next to the original art piece that inspired their work. Teams will act as docents communicating with visitors to the museum that afternoon. Teams will be at the museum from 2pm to 4pm that day. We encourage all families to attend and see their work!!! 9th Grade 9th graders recently finished their first PBL on Leadership and Collaboration. Student teams presented their work to the entire 9th grade class and for their first presentations, they did an amazing job (they raised the bar to even a higher level for 9th grade!). 9th grade students are currently beginning their next PBL unit on Energy. We look forward to seeing their products at the end of the unit as they attempt to create a Carnot Engine Model.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 19:33:50 +0000
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