October 3, 2018
By: Dwayne Page
DeKalb County High School was all abuzz with activity Tuesday night as hundreds of students and their families attended a STEM night Harvest Festival.
The event, especially for Pre-K to 8th grade students and their parents, treated attendees to a variety of STEM-related hands-on activities in an effort to bolster excitement about a future in science, technology, engineering and math.
Students were able to use a 3-D printer, operate robotics, see through virtual reality goggles and much more!
“Some of the booths offered demonstrations of STEM activities which allowed students to make things. Some things they made and took home with them were pumpkin pies in a bag through our Culinary Program. Others made eco-systems in a bottle that they took home to plant.. We also featured new items in the Makerspace like the virtual reality and the robotics. There were all sorts of things like that to get students excited about STEM,” said DCHS Math teacher Amy Fricks.
STEM activities were conducted in the DCHS cafeteria, patio, in the CTE machine, automotive, and carpentry shops, and at the Makerspace in the media center.
“We had a lot of support from all the teachers and staff from all the five schools and also from a lot of community members. It has really grown our numbers. We have had a lot of kids come through and do some really fun activities. We’re excited that they are getting excited about science and math,” said Fricks.
STEM Family Night was created in an effort to introduce elementary and middle school age students — and their parents — to STEM-inspired career paths and to further their understanding of how STEM-specific skills are used. Another STEM Family Night will be held later in the school year.