Massena Central receives Arconic Foundation grant for STEM programming

Bob Beckstead, Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
·3 min read

Jul. 1—MASSENA — A $30,000 grant from the Arconic Foundation will allow the Massena Central School District to provide STEM programming to elementary students.

Danielle J. Chapman, the district's director of educational support services, said the science, technology, engineering and math program is a partnership with Clarkson University.

"Partnering with Clarkson and having their undergraduate students expose the elementary students to STEM will benefit both the mentor and the students. There is a lot of research on the positive effects of having a college student mentor an elementary student. This opportunity will allow growth among both populations," Ms. Chapman said.

The Clarkson undergraduate mentors will be selected and trained by Clarkson's director of educational partnerships, who also will closely monitor their work. The Clarkson mentors will be supported by a Massena staff member for the activity time with students to assist with the project and provide added supervision.

The grant funds will be used during the fall and spring semesters for the Raider Academy after-school program and the Summer Raider Academy. Clarkson student mentors will travel to Massena to work directly with students in each grade-level group at each of the three elementary buildings. As part of the program, Clarkson will provide project-based STEM activities for elementary students in grades kindergarten through six during the after-school Raider Academy and Summer Raider Academy.

They will offer two different types of STEM activities. One will be a multi-day project such as building and programming a robot. The other will be a short, self-contained activity that engages students in different branches of science, such as chemistry by making elephant toothpaste.

In addition, pre-engineering problem-solving challenges will also be offered, such as building a load-bearing structure from spaghetti and marshmallows.

Primary student participants in the after-school Raider Academy will have an opportunity to visit the North Country Children's Museum in Potsdam, while upper elementary students will attend a Chemistry Magic Show at Clarkson. The Summer Raider Academy students will have a four-day STEM camp led by the Clarkson mentors, and will also take part in a field trip.

"The activities will center on a theme that will be drawn from the appropriate grade level New York state science standards and content and integrate computer science applications. For example, grade four standards focus on weather and climate with data gathering and analysis (computer science standard); grade six, aeronautics with rocket launching and algorithm development," Ms. Chapman said.

Ms. Chapman said taking part in STEM activities will help students in the future.

"While a STEM/STEAM (A for art) education has a tangible effect on our students' retention and growth in elementary school, the benefits extend beyond grade school. The yearly growth for STEM jobs is projected to be almost double that of non-STEM jobs, and people who work in STEM earn, on average, 26% more than people employed in non-STEM fields," she said. "By providing our students with a solid STEM foundation at a young age, we can set them up for success far into the future."