Downtown
For third, fourth and fifth graders at Centennial Academy Charter School, Fridays mean more than just the start of the weekend. They bring the chance for them to use power tools and saws to create their own projects.
“They’re experiencing something in a useful way; it’s not the teachers doing it for them,” said Summer Blackmon, the school’s STEAM specialist for kindergarten through eighth grade. “They walk away with a sense of pride, whether using their hands or thinking creatively.”
The tool time opportunity comes through a partnership the intown school has with the STE(A)M Truck, a 9-year-old nonprofit that engages students with hammers, drills and nails, as well as a few high-tech options, around STEAM lessons.
“We started in the fall because we call ourselves a STEAM school, but in day-to-day teaching, we felt we were skimming the surface,” said Blackmon. “With the truck, projects touch on all the disciplines within STEAM, and they aren’t superficial or forced. Our scholars have grown in their understanding and interest. For me as a STEAM specialist, it’s like mission accomplished: They see what it means to use high- and low-tech elements in design.”
Spending time in the STE(A)M Truck has piqued the interests of students across the board who have gotten into projects that range from wooden journal covers to rockets, said Blackmon.
“Even those who thought they’d never want to dabble in what we used to call ‘shop’ love it,” she said. “I’ve not met a class yet that doesn’t look forward to it every Friday. They speak about what they learned and the tools they used, and they walk away with something they made. It has impacted students in such a positive way.”
One group that needed a bit of convincing was girls, said Blackmon. “They turned their noses up at the idea of using tools, but the minute they heard ‘power tools,’ they lit up. They went from ‘meh’ to grinning from ear to ear.”
Marsha Francis, STE(A)M Truck’s executive director, said there’s also an allure to learning outside a textbook.
“You could see them thinking – that’s what’s so special,” she said. “It’s not a textbook or a lecture. It brings a new understanding and life to math and science concepts they’re studying.”
Founded to be a mobile maker space, the truck brings the tools to the schools. Weather permitting, some projects, such as rocket launches, take place outdoors or in nearby tents. Francis said the projects take multi-disciplinary approaches, with some focusing on coding and engineering, and others on more basic skills.
“It’s for all kids,” she said. “It builds confidence even if they just pick up a drill and make two holes.”
The truck also serves as an introduction to career fields some students might not have considered.
“We give them a broad range of exposure to the industries and opportunities in Georgia as they continue through K-12 and then decide what happens after high school,” said Francis. “It’s beneficial whether students want to go to Georgia Tech or Atlanta Tech.”
Information about Centennial Academy is online at centennialacademycharter.org.
SEND US YOUR STORIES. Each week we look at programs, projects and successful endeavors at area schools, from pre-K to grad school. To suggest a story, contact H.M. Cauley at hm_cauley@yahoo.com or 770-744-3042.
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