massachusetts stem week

Easton Public Schools Receives Five Citations for Participation in Massachusetts STEM Week

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Easton Public Schools
Dr. Lisha Cabral, Superintendent
50 Oliver St.
North Easton, MA 02356

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019

Media Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Easton Public Schools Receives Five Citations for Participation in Massachusetts STEM Week

EASTON — Superintendent Lisha Cabral is pleased to announce that Easton Public Schools received five citations last week in recognition of their participation in Massachusetts STEM Week and helping to advance STEM education for Easton students.

The citations, awarded on Monday, Nov. 18, recognize Easton Schools’ contribution to celebrating STEM Week, which took place Oct. 21-25. In southeastern Massachusetts, over 50 schools, businesses and community organizations offered STEM Week events and activities that highlighted the importance of STEM education and provided engaging and challenging STEM activities for students, families and community members.

The citations were presented by the Southeastern Massachusetts STEM Network and the CONNECT Partnership during the Partnerships Advancing STEM Education – Celebrating STEM Week event held at Bridgewater State University.

The citations were awarded to: Easton Public Schools, accepted by Assistant Superintendent Christine Pruitt; Center Elementary School, accepted by second grade teacher Christen Foote; Easton Public Schools Art Department, accepted by K-12 Art Department Head Kristyn Shea; Easton Public Schools Industrial Arts Department and Industrial Arts teacher Tom Baldino, accepted by Assistant Superintendent Pruitt; and the Easton Community STEAM Team, accepted by Oliver Ames High School senior Olivia Pierce.

The event also featured a panel discussion focusing on the impact that partnerships between educators and businesses can have on students. Assistant Superintendent Pruitt sat on the panel and shared some of the experiences Easton students had during this year’s STEM Week.

“Our district’s involvement in STEM Week provided many unique opportunities for our students to further explore their interests in the STEM field,” Superintendent Cabral said. “This weeklong event required a lot of effort in planning and execution and these citations help to recognize the hard work that the staff at all of our schools did to ensure all of the events were rewarding for our students.”

From Oct. 19 through Oct. 25, Easton Public Schools participated in Massachusetts’ second annual STEM Week by hosting a multitude of events and activities throughout the week.

Easton’s STEM Week opportunities included conferences and exhibits that immersed students in different areas of STEM. Easton Middle School hosted a Career Discovery Conference for students that encouraged them to explore the STEM field, while a STEAM – which is STEM plus the arts – letter and work display was shown throughout the week to highlight the STEM projects students across the district completed.

In addition to conferences and exhibits, students took part in a hands-on approach to learning. i2 Stem Week transformed the middle schools into STEM learning labs where students worked in teams to solve real-world problems. Students were also able to work with the Natural Resources Trust of Easton (NRT) to examine and analyze the ecology of local freshwater streams.

Teachers participated in special opportunities during STEM Week by attending the MassCue 2019 Annual Technology Conference and presentations by DePuy Synthes employees. These events provided New England educators with exciting new ways to enhance teaching and learning with technology.

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Mansfield High School and Jordan/Jackson Elementary Receive Citation for Participation in Massachusetts STEM Week

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Mansfield Public Schools
Teresa Murphy, Superintendent
2 Park Row
Mansfield, MA 02048

For Immediate Release

Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-742-3922
Email: [email protected]

Mansfield High School and Jordan/Jackson Elementary Receive Citation for Participation in Massachusetts STEM Week

MANSFIELD — Superintendent Teresa Murphy is pleased to announce that Jordan/Jackson Elementary School and Mansfield High School received a citation on Monday, Nov. 18 in recognition of their participation in Massachusetts STEM Week and helping to advance STEM education for Mansfield students.

The citation recognizes Mansfield Schools’ contribution to celebrating STEM Week, which took place Oct. 21-25. In southeastern Massachusetts, over 50 schools, businesses and community organizations offered STEM Week events and activities that highlighted the importance of STEM education and provided engaging and challenging STEM activities for students, families and community members.

The citation was presented by the Southeastern Massachusetts STEM Network and the CONNECT Partnership during the Partnerships Advancing STEM Education – Celebrating STEM Week event held at Bridgewater State University on Monday. Principal John Nieratko and teacher Jennifer Keller accepted on behalf of Jordan/Jackson Elementary and teacher Deborah Fournier accepted on behalf of Mansfield High School.

“Getting students of all ages interested and involved in STEM is an important education initiative and we are happy to offer our students the opportunity to do so,” Superintendent Murphy said. “Our teachers do an excellent job planning STEM activities that allow students to exercise creativity and practice their problem-solving skills through hands-on learning experiences, and this citation recognizes that effort.”

The STEM Network also asked Jordan/Jackson and the Mansfield STEM Expo team to be exhibitors at the event. Their table highlighted some of the STEM Week events and activities that were held at Jordan/Jackson.

At Mansfield High School, students participated in activities including separating a heterogeneous mixture and separating plant pigments from paper. Students at Jordan/Jackson participated in activities including a mini pumpkin chuck to demonstrate force, a ‘Show & Tell’ with iRobot and building and maintaining a butterfly garden to learn about ecosystems and life sciences, among other activities.

The event Monday also featured a panel discussion focusing on the impact that partnerships between educators and businesses can have on students.

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Greater Lowell Tech Students Participate in STEM Week Activities

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Greater Lowell Technical High School
Superintendent Joseph Mastrocola
250 Pawtucket Boulevard,
Tyngsborough, MA 01879

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019

Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Greater Lowell Tech Students Participate in STEM Week Activities

TYNGSBOROUGH — Superintendent Joseph Mastrocola is pleased to announce that Greater Lowell Technical High School students explored the science, technology, engineering and math fields last week during STEM Week.

GLTHS participated in the Massachusetts STEM Week Challenge 2019 from Oct. 21-25, as part of the statewide effort to boost the interest, awareness and ability for all learners to envision themselves in STEM education and employment opportunities.

The theme for the second-annual statewide STEM Week was “See Yourself in STEM.” 

“We need more young people to see themselves in STEM careers, and last week’s activities gave students terrific experience in these fields,” Mastrocola said. “It was great to see so much hands-on learning, as well as students taking part in special projects that will benefit the entire school community and residents of Lowell.”

Instructors participating in STEM Week included Coordinator of STEM Outreach and Academic Success Lorrie Campbell, history teachers Jennifer Parkhurst and Karen Washington, science teachers Kelly Griffin and Nate Howe, and math teachers Judy Moran, Stacey O’Keefe, Devin McInerney, Helen Sullivan and Andrea Collins.

In history classes, students considered how integrated electronics have become in peoples’ lives, how dependent people have become on technology and how electronics help us. They defined what an electronic is, and described the typical components of common electronic devices.

Science students participated in a two-day laboratory experiment, setting up a simulation of the copper etching process for creating circuit boards found in many electronic components. They were shown that this manufacturing process creates e-waste that requires proper disposal. The students considered the pros and cons of various disposal methods for the virtual water created in their circuit board simulation.

In math classes, students defined e-waste and discussed the high volume of the e-waste problem. They identified familiar examples of common products designed with planned obsolescence versus those designed to last. Students evaluated trade-offs associated with the usage of electronics.

Several special projects were also undertaken by students during the week, including Information Technology students in Paul McNeil and Steven King’s classes. Students were chosen to present the projects to school administrators and other staff members who visited classrooms to observe STEM Week activities.

McNeil’s students installed a KVM (keyboard, video and mouse) switch and additional cables to the new Windows computers and a new Apple Mac mini computer. The switch allows students to use a single workstation to control multiple computers with the touch of a button.

Students can use the workstation to learn about building iPhone and Apple apps. More advanced students can explore the curriculum developed by Apple for the Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles with Swift that the Greater Lowell School Committee sent McNeil to Austin, Texas this past summer to learn. The curriculum is used to prepare the students for the AP Computer Science exam and the App Development with Swift Certification Level 1.

The presenter for the project was Information Technology sophomore Abbey Gingras, of Dracut.

King’s student’s worked on a GLTech AR app, which uses Augmented Reality to display a video representing Greater Lowell Tech programs on posters that can be hung anywhere in the school. To use the app, students point their iPhone at one of the technical program posters and the poster turns into a video for the appropriate shop.

DVC (Design & Visual Communications) students created the posters. The app is currently in the Apple beta testing and review process, and the school hopes to have it available for all to download from the App Store within the next two weeks.

Presenters for the project included Information Technology senior Andrew Seak, of Lowell. 

Engineering teacher Susan Youens has also been working with her students, including senior engineering student Shayla Som, of Lowell, on the design of a multi-function building to support youth sports at Shedd Park in South Lowell.

The building will serve as Som’s Term 1 project. She is serving as the main drafter/designer of the plans for the building, which is expected be open for the summer and spring sports seasons.

The project is based off a community service idea to create a new concession stand with bathrooms for the park, which Som said she chose as a way to gain real-world experience in architectural and civil engineering. 

Now that STEM Week activities have concluded, students will participate in a real-world problem to solve in the form of a cell phone recycling program. It will allow students to receive hands-on experience with reducing e-waste. Boxes within the school will be set up to collect old cell phones, preventing them from ending up in a landfill.

The program is being run by Carol Chisolm’s math and science cluster departments. It will conclude on National Recycling Day, which falls on Friday, Nov. 15.

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Pentucket’s Bagnall Elementary School Hosts 2019 STEM Week Activities

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Pentucket Regional School District
Superintendent Justin Bartholomew
22 Main Street
West Newbury, MA 01985

For Immediate Release

Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019

Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Pentucket’s Bagnall Elementary School Hosts 2019 STEM Week Activities

GROVELAND — Principal Emily Puteri is pleased to announce that Bagnall Elementary School students are participating in a variety of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workshops this week as part of a statewide initiative to promote learning in each field. 

Bagnall Elementary School is participating in Massachusetts’ second annual STEM Week this week, an effort started by the Baker-Polito Administration to support students’ interest in STEM education. 

“STEM Week is a wonderful opportunity to spark excitement and curiosity among our students about the incredible array of fascinating, challenging STEM fields out there,” Principal Puteri said. “Our students are excited about the opportunities they’ll have this week to learn about a range of topics, many of which have to do with sustainability and the environment.”

STEM Week activities at Bagnall Elementary School were organized by Brooke Welch, Pentucket Regional School District’s Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) coordinator. The week’s activities are being funded by a STEM Week grant from the Merrimack College Northeast STEM Network, a group that helps connect educators and supports schools as they organize their annual STEM Week activities. 

“Each activity we’ve planned for this week encourages our students to hypothesize about possible solutions, test their ideas, learn more about these topics, use their creativity and discuss possible solutions,” Welch said. “Students will also collaborate and will gain an understanding of how these topics — from the importance of reducing trash waste to removing microplastics from water — have a tremendous impact on the world they live in.”

Leading up to this week, kindergarten through second grade students at the school have been learning about food waste, composting, recycling and reducing their “foodprint.” Third through fifth grade students have been learning about novel energy solutions, unintended consequences and prototyping a way for the school to use a cleaner energy source. Sixth grade students have been studying the impact of microplastics on the environment, animals and the human body.

Over the course of this week, the school will host five workshops to support student learning and interest in various STEM topics. On Tuesday, students in kindergarten through second grade learned about trash and waste, upcycling and sustainability through an interactive “Children’s Museum” operated by educators in the small gymnasium at the school. 

On Wednesday, third and fourth grade students took part in two workshops. In one program, students learned about the impacts of an oil spill and acted as environmental engineers to test different methods for effectively cleaning up an oil spill. In the second workshop, students visited the school’s makerspace and brainstorm how to make their school more sustainable and environmentally friendly. 

Fifth and sixth grade students will also take part in two workshops on Thursday. In one workshop, students will learn about the amount of plastic that has been disposed of in the ocean, and will design and build a filter to remove pieces of plastic from an ocean model. They will also discuss possible solutions to reduce and remove plastic from the ocean. In the second workshop, students will gather in the school’s makerspace to create a procedure to remove plastic microbeads from a provided commercial personal care product, such as a facial cleanser or body wash. 

The school’s STEM Week events will culminate in a school-wide presentation on revision energy on Friday by Elizabeth Rose, an advocate and Groveland resident who builds ecobrick structures in Guatemala for school children to show students alternative ways to build houses and structures from Plastic bottles and bags, known as ecobricks.

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