IMCOM grant promotes STEM in middle school/CYSS collaboration

By Mr. Karl Weisel (IMCOM)September 24, 2015

IMCOM grant promotes STEM in middle school/CYSS collaboration
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IMCOM grant promotes STEM in middle school/CYSS collaboration
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IMCOM grant promotes STEM in middle school/CYSS collaboration
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WIESBADEN, Germany - Wiesbaden Middle School students are leaving the classroom to explore different aspects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, thanks to a $10,000 grant from the Installation Management Command.

Seventh-graders recently built and tested model airplanes, using their math skills while constructing and testing the aircraft, in the semester-long collaborative effort between the school and Wiesbaden's Child, Youth and School Services.

"The focus of the grant was on the STEM program," said Kristi Richburg, technology laboratory program associate with the Wiesbaden Teen Center. "It's important that we continue that spirit of exploring and fun that students experience during elementary school in the middle school years."

"It's something to augment what they learn in school," said Carlos Tana, a child and youth program assistant, "giving them another avenue for exposure and learning about careers in science, technology, engineering and math. … If you awaken that interest, some of them will find out an early age that they have an aptitude for it -- also to get kids interested in other things that they might not otherwise be exposed to in school."

In addition to aviation/astronomy, students are exploring aspects of automotive engineering and the medical profession, said Richburg, a former teacher with a master's degree in educational technology who devised the Career Education Exploration curriculum for the CYSS My STEM Future Program at the Teen Center.

"The biggest thing about the STEM world is that in the future there will not be enough Americans to fill STEM jobs," Richburg said. "We want to show these students that STEM is fun and relevant to their lives."

"IMCOM came to us and said 'we want to develop some synergistic partnerships between the schools and the Teen Centers,'" said Peter Witmer, U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden school liaison officer.

With the goal of exciting students about the STEM fields, CYSS and school officials worked together to devise a diverse program showcasing several potential careers which garnered financial support from IMCOM.

"We partner with the middle school to do a variety of projects," said Aaron Chapuis, CYSS youth program director.

As part of the collaborative effort, students will visit the Frankfurt International Airport, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and one other similar STEM-related business or organization.

"Kristi wrote all of the lesson plants to tie in with what the middle school is teaching," said Chapuis. "This is more evidence of the great partnership between CYSS and the schools."

"I think it's a great project," said Thomas Davis, a Wiesbaden Middle School social studies and Spanish teacher, who accompanied his seventh-graders to the Teen Center. "I'm so glad that the base offers all these opportunities for the kids. This is really a tight-knit community."

"I think it's going to develop interest in STEM and aviation -- they'll have a stronger feeling for it," said fellow Wiesbaden Middle School language arts teacher Jim Dilfer. "This is the age to reach them. I think it's a great thing -- getting them interested with hands-on activities. The kids are going to learn a lot."

"It's fun," said seventh-grader Jazmine Ford. "I appreciate the interaction between the youth center and the school.

A side benefit of the project is introducing youths to the many CYSS programs and opportunities available to them outside of school.

"A lot of the seventh-graders haven't been in here (the Wiesbaden Teen Center) before," said Richburg, explaining that the STEM effort also introduces them to CYSS and Parent Central Services.

Witmer thanked the many volunteers throughout the STEM world, such as experts from the European Space Agency, who serve as local mentors and presenters. "It's a huge collaboration," he said.

Related Links:

Wiesbaden Child, Youth and School Services

Herald Union Online