During the week of March 6-10, Middle School students and teachers engaged in an exciting STEAM Week, where STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. Before the event, students selected a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG) that they wanted to explore more in-depth by addressing a Driving Question. Collaborating in multi-grade level groups, guided by a teacher leader, students applied the AISC Design Thinking Process to tackle their projects.
The week started with a captivating keynote speech by Said El Kadi, who took the students on a journey “from idea to impact”. Then, the students delved into the research aspect of their projects, effectively using the Library resources. By the end of the first day, most students had already “ideated” and brainstormed an idea for their project prototype.
On Tuesday, students began building the prototype for their solution to the Driving Question. By Friday morning, they had created final prototypes and prepared presentations for the community. Numerous parents attended the presentations and listened to the students sharing their design thinking process throughout the week. The event was the beginning of a whole day of sharing and presenting which highlighted the students’ creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.
STEAM is a dynamic initiative that forms a key part of our Futures Plan Strategic Pathway for Learning and Innovation in the System. Our primary objective was to enhance the STEAM program while fine-tuning the rubric for evaluating student projects. Starting next year, STEAM will be fully integrated into our Middle School’s curricular program and this Strategic Pathway will be retired to make room for new initiatives.
Jennifer Bertram
Middle School Principal