By Beth Christian Broschart
The Parsons Advocate
PARSONS – Students at Tucker Valley Elementary Middle and Davis Thomas Elementary Middle Schools are participating in a program that they are enjoying. The Tuesday after school STEM program is a big hit with each school – so much so that students are sad when 5:30 p.m. comes and they have to go home.
DTEMS instructors Valerie Eye and Melissa Taucher said the students work together in groups and enjoy learning.
“We introduce them to a topic each week and we give them free time to create and make their main topic,” Eye said. “This week happens to be move it, so they are creating a moving sculpture with three features.”
Funding came through a Title I grant. There are a total of eight sessions in the winter term and then there will be eight in the spring term. The students participating are those in kindergarten through 8th grade.
“This will give kids enrichment. Tuesdays helps those achieve higher level thinking skills,” Eye said. “We have been having 30 to 35 students each night.”
Alexis Evers said she really enjoys the afterschool STEM program.
“I really like that the program is hands on,” Alexis said. “I have more time to really get into what we are making and doing.”
Alexis said she hopes to be a teacher one day. She said being in the STEM program and watching her instructors during the afterschool program has reinforced her desire to teach.
At TVEMS, students had created shoes with special features and they were working to sell their products. Instructors there said they not only designed a shoe that did something unusual, create a trademark, create a billboard and give a pitch to sell their shoe.
There were more than 40 students at TVEMS participating in the program.
Wenkai Campbell said his group created a shoe with a spring to help with jumping.
“It’s like Michael Jordan so it jumps,” Wenkai said. He and Ethan Rosenau said they have really enjoyed the program. They called their shoe ‘The Rebel’ and said they were selling their shoe for $200. Roman Turner also helped with The Rebel project.
Last week, Zeda Carr’s group made a plane.
Superintendent Dr. Eddie Campbell said the program helps prepare students for Tucker County High School which received an innovation zone grant for STEM education.
