by Megan Low – The Moyers Public School science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) class is made up of sophomores (Montana Page-Davis), juniors (Jillian Nored, KyeAreha Williams, Keyli Beaty, Kynley Luca, Logan Rowland, Tayler Greenwood, Madison Weisinger) and seniors (Aiden Noah) in high school. We have a very innovative and creative lead teacher, Mrs. McKnight. We started the year off creating a hydraulic claw. The kit provided the students with the parts, instructions, and tools needed to complete the project. This was an individual project and we assisted only when the students could not progress forward. This required the students to think and get comfortable with hands on projects. It also allowed us to evaluate the students’ abilities and willingness to complete projects with pride.
The next section was using the Cricut. We began by teaching the students about the machine and how to use it. We also taught them about the different types of vinyl and what surfaces are ideal for Cricut projects. The first assignment was for the students to create whatever they wanted. Most students created decals for lockers and vehicles. They were able to get comfortable with the steps and use their creative side. Next, we created groups and gave them a specific task. For example, our school had a drop off sign for the elementary that was needing replaced. The students measured and created a permanent decal that would serve as the main sign telling parents when drop off begins.
Next, we began creating the synchronized Christmas light show. This is the biggest project of the year. It requires attention to detail, manual labor, and all hands-on deck. The first step was creating a plan with the resources we had. We began by splitting the students into two teams. One team created the songs and programs for the lights. Our students took great pride in ensuring the lights moved to the beat of the music. They were able to choose their own Christmas songs. We had a wide variety of genres. This made the show diverse and fun for all audiences. We have also included the programed songs created by previous STEM classes. We plan to continue accumulating songs in years to come. The second team was assigned the manual labor of attaching the lights to props, setting up, and ensure the lights stayed in place. Both were enormous tasks. We are so proud of the students and their efforts towards this project. We plan to increase the size of the synchronized Christmas light show in the future.
Plans for second semester are to learn about Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones). They will study for the FAA test, practice with drone simulators, then will fly our own drones courses at the school. At the conclusion of the school year, students will use 3D printers to design and print their own projects.
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