STEM program plays important role in Leetonia
Leetonia Elementary School student Olivia Coleman-Speaks, 7, looks on as Aeris Gorby, 7, blows into her straw rocket Wednesday morning during the district’s eight-day Summer STEM program. (Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)
Casey Harris (center), fifth-grade teacher and one of the coordinators for Leetonia’s Summer STEM program, is flanked by her second-grade participants in Leetonia Elementary School’s Summer STEM program, as they are in various stages of completing their straw rockets. (Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)
Brooklyn Earich, 6, tries out of her straw rocket Wednesday morning during Leetonia Elementary School’s Summer STEM program.(Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)
Leetonia Elementary School students Daniel Percy, 6, Nikolai Fowler, 7, and Konnor Hazel, 7, build a roller coaster out of paper plates and disposable paper bathroom cups Thursday morning to wrap up the first week of Summer STEM programming. (Submitted photo)
From left, Harper Harris, 9, and Kaylee Leverknight, 8, work on their roller coaster, as teacher Kelly Chaffee looks on Thursday morning during Leetonia Elementary School’s Summer STEM program. (Submitted photo)
Justin Drye, 7, gets his photo taken Wednesday with his straw rocket inside the rocketship to memorialize its participation in Leetonia Elementary School’s Summer STEM program. (Submitted photo)
Leetonia Elementary School student Olivia Coleman-Speaks, 7, looks on as Aeris Gorby, 7, blows into her straw rocket Wednesday morning during the district’s eight-day Summer STEM program. (Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)
Casey Harris (center), fifth-grade teacher and one of the coordinators for Leetonia’s Summer STEM program, is flanked by her second-grade participants in Leetonia Elementary School’s Summer STEM program, as they are in various stages of completing their straw rockets. (Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)
Brooklyn Earich, 6, tries out of her straw rocket Wednesday morning during Leetonia Elementary School’s Summer STEM program.(Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)
Leetonia Elementary School students Daniel Percy, 6, Nikolai Fowler, 7, and Konnor Hazel, 7, build a roller coaster out of paper plates and disposable paper bathroom cups Thursday morning to wrap up the first week of Summer STEM programming. (Submitted photo)
From left, Harper Harris, 9, and Kaylee Leverknight, 8, work on their roller coaster, as teacher Kelly Chaffee looks on Thursday morning during Leetonia Elementary School’s Summer STEM program. (Submitted photo)
Justin Drye, 7, gets his photo taken Wednesday with his straw rocket inside the rocketship to memorialize its participation in Leetonia Elementary School’s Summer STEM program. (Submitted photo)
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LEETONIA -- Normally when people mention "stem," they have visions of flowers dancing in the wind.
However, STEM has a different connotation especially if you are an elementary school student in the village of Leetonia.
Casey Harris, who leads Leetonia Elementary School's STEM-based summer learning program alongside Jenn Hartman this year, said the program means a lot to the school district's families. STEM is an acronym designating Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
In previous years, the district's summer program ran six weeks in length. However, due to funding cuts, it was scaled back to only eight days spread over two weeks for grades K-3.
During week one, students learn about motion, creating ramps, rockets and roller coasters before measuring their effectiveness.
Students focus on the weather in week two, building tornadoes in bottles, rain clouds, thunderstorm and sun shelter for UV-beaded critters. Obviously if the sun sensitive beads on the critter turn color then the shelter isn't protecting them well.
Bus passes were issued to the students in conjunction with the program, and students received breakfast and lunches.
According to Harris, students in grades 1-3 are collected in the school's media center for a STEM activity, like Wednesday's construction of straw rockets or Thursday's paper roller coaster exercise involving a marble.
After working at tables and receiving grade level instruction, students try out their projects' effectiveness.
In some cases, troubleshooting is needed. In the case of straw rockets, students learned that sometimes good ole' masking tape was more effective than glue for sealing up those holes, which can cause a loss of air and affect rockets' abilities to fly when blowing in the straw.
Students then move onto enjoy lunch and recess before going home.
Due to the shortened summer program, Harris proposed that Leetonia dedicate its shorter program exclusively this year to STEM.
It is an educational area which Leetonia is hoping to increase exposure for students in anyways.
"With these activities, we want kids to think on their own to develop solutions," Harris added.
The Family Recovery Center's Aiming High --a program that educates youth to make good decisions -- also comes in twice a week to spend time with the youth and do activities with them.
Harris said that the district is working on improving its technology curriculum and hope that eventually they can add a makers' space to their library as well as teach some coding.
Elsewhere in the building, kindergarten students also completed the assigned STEM task of the day within the comforts of their classroom before enjoying some of the more familiar kindergarten activities like coloring.
The program wraps up this Thursday.