Page 5 - EdConnect10.2016

COLUMBIA
ELEMENTARY
engineering design process, and the language of mathematics in a exible environment.
The STEM lab is sta ed by Brittani Bluhm, a full-time Indialantic Elementary faculty member and science-enthusiast. The lessons cover all things STEM. Right now kindergarten
is learning how to use scienti c tools like microscopes and beakers while using their ve senses to explore their natural world and classify their ndings. Second grade is engaged in
a soil and rock sample study with the challenge of recreating
a beach-side soil sample. Fourth grade is focusing on varying types of energy transformations with varying kinds of circuits. All challenging activities relying upon at least two STEM disciplines per session with the goal of instilling perseverance, grit, problem-solving, as well as cooperative learning skills in a non-traditional setting.
“Although this is a new program to Indialantic Elementary, the students are enjoying the challenging projects,” Bluhm said. “Local engineering rms and other technology based companies in Brevard County are pleased to nd the focus on STEM studies shifting to a new generation of learners.”
All grades at Indialantic Elementary participate in a STEM lab class once a week.
PALM BAY MAGNET HIGH
Members of Palm Bay Magnet High’s Technology Student Association (TSA) took rst prize in the system control category at the
national TSA
conference
in Nashville,
TN from
June 28 -
July 2.
TSA is a national organization of students engaged
Columbia
Elementary in
Palm Bay’s art
teacher, Kristina
Latraverse
attended a
week-long
summer art
workshop at
the Arrowmont
School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN. Nestled in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains, the school provides opportunities for its students to immerse themselves in art-making, learning new techniques, and exploring new art media. Arrowmont has been around more than a hundred years and o ers over 130 courses in arts and crafts. Scholarships were provided to BPS teachers by Community Foundation for Brevard.
“My time at Arrowmont allowed me to reconnect with my own art making and explore new creative processes. I am so excited to share what I have learned and the experience I had with my students,” Latraverse said. “Spending a week being a student gave me a unique perceptive which I know will improve my teaching practice.”
INDIALANTIC ELEMENTARY
Just this year, Indialantic Elementary established a STEM lab for all grades at the school. The lab provides seven classes each weekday with hands-on, project-based activities dedicated
to science, technology, engineering, and math. Each week, students visit the STEM lab as part of the enrichment programs rotation for 40 minutes of hands-on instruction. Students
of all age levels utilize technology, scienti c principles, the
Columbia Elemetary art teacher, Kristina Latraverse enjoyed working in charcoals at Arrowmont in Gatlinburg, TN.
Members of Palm Bay Magnet High’s Technology Student Association bring home plenty of wins from this summer’s conference.
in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Open
to students enrolled in or who have completed technology education courses, TSA’s membership includes over 233,000 middle and high school students in approximately 2,000 schools spanning 49 states. More than 6,000 students competed in over 65 STEM competitions such as technology problem solving, debating technological issues, geospatial technology, and structural engineering in the national competition.
Advisors and instructors, Rebecca and Deuel Allen, along with ten student members attended the conference competing
in 19 events. The team placed in the nals of 10 events and placed rst overall in system control and second overall in CNC manufacturing design. The students enjoyed a night at the Grand Old Opry and a tour of the art museum at the Parthenon in downtown Nashville to round out the STEsM educational experience.
BECOME A
MASTER OF EDUCATION
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