“I never knew STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) could be so much fun,” said a student attending the CIS STEM-Fest at Shallotte Middle School on February 28. Those words were repeated over and over throughout the evening, along with “Wow” and “That is so cool!” Over three hundred parents, students, and family members came out for a Communities In Schools of Brunswick County (CIS) and SMS Family STEMFest. Participants learned how STEM concepts play an important role in our everyday lives and able to perform experiments and tests on the science concepts.
From Floating Pennies to Stomp Rockets and Robotics, students and parents became scientists and tested their theories to see first-hand how science works. There were 24 different STEM stations where parents and students received hands on experience with demonstrations and experiments.
CIS and SMS school staff were on hand working stations and teaching science lessons in a fun and memorable way. STEM based businesses from the community also had demonstration tables to show how STEM makes a difference in their work and the environment we live in. Some examples of STEM stations for participants included: Brunswick County High School Robotics, Brunswick Soil and Water Conservation Enviroscape, Ingram Planetarium Mars Rovers, UNCW Marine Quest Wetlands and Turtle Trash Collectors, Brunswick County First Tee, Brunswick Community College Science Department, Brunswick County Schools Virtual Reality Glasses and Ozobots, UNCW STEM kits; Drops on a Penny, Floating Pennies, Ghost Bubbles, Gak Slime, Brush Bots, Stomp Rockets, Cartesian Divers, and Pro Bots.
CIS and SMS provided each student/parent with a STEM passport to have checked off for each STEM station visited. Once the passport was filled by visiting and completing all of the stations, it became a “golden ticket”. Students and parents were able to use the golden tickets to get hotdogs, popcorn, and ice cream sundaes as well as raffle prizes that included an iPad, a Chocolate Lovers gift basket, and a Junk Food Junkie gift basket.
For more information about CIS of Brunswick County and our Action for Success dropout prevention program, please contact the CIS office at 910.351.8007.
