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Thank you for support of LIS STEAM Fair
To the editor:
On Thursday, April 7, Lewistown Intermediate School hosted its first STEAM Fair. Indian Valley Elementary Center has held a STEAM Fair for a couple of years, and we wanted to give our students the same opportunity! STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, art and math. We know the importance of STEAM in education and wanted to give our students a chance to showcase what they know. We also wanted to include community resources and businesses that use STEAM in the workplace to show students how important the elements will be in their futures.
On March 5, 2020, the Commissioners of Mifflin County deemed March STEM month. Many of the educators and community leaders that collaborated for the LIS STEAM Fair attended the proclamation and have advocated for STEM education in our community and schools. The LIS STEAM Fair is just one example of the community coming together to promote STEM education.
Lewistown Intermediate School houses approximately 485 fourth- and fifth-grade students. Participation was not mandatory in the STEAM Fair. A lot of our classroom teachers completed a class STEAM project with their class that was also on display. Evaluators of the student projects were Mr. Vance Varner, Mifflin County School District superintendent; Mr. Paul Maidens, MCSD chief operations officer; Mrs. Diane Stewart, MCSD school board member, Mrs. Erica Bell, MCSD elementary technology coordinator and Mr. Steven Himes, LIS fifth grade teacher.
Mrs. Jenn Hartzler, LIS technology teacher; Mrs. Emily Eckenroth, LIS library media teacher and Mrs. Vicki Mattey, LIS assistant principal coordinated the event for the LIS students. A big thank you to local resources, businesses and leaders for helping make this event possible. Alex Haines, Valerie Reed and Deb Erdman from Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital, Lucas Parkes from EADS Group, Kelly Rodenbaugh and Kelly Frankhouser from The Mifflin County Library and Peney Wright from Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11 were all in attendance. Special thanks to Brett Rogers of Mifflin County Science and Technology Fair for sponsoring Ismaiel Szink of Discovery Space of State College, who was also in attendance.
Multiple educators within the Mifflin County School District also collaborated to make this event a success. Rebecca ConnerMiller, Mifflin County High School tech ed and STEM teacher brought her STEM interns to showcase their underwater robots, LEGO Robotics and Tetris Robotics. She and her students also created the wood cutout participation mementos for the LIS student participants using an Epilog Zing Engraver and Cutter at MCHS. Valerie Baker, The Academy's early childhood instructor brought some of her students to teach LIS students how to construct paper airplanes and pinwheels. Tyler Snyder, The Academy's mechatronics instructor brought a remote-controlled robot to show LIS students. MCHS Key Club and National Honor Society students also helped at the event with the Scholastic Book Fair and the LIS Home and School silent auction.
Thank you to all students, parents, teachers, businesses, local resources and community leaders for making the night a huge success! We hope to continue this event yearly!
Jenn Hartzler
Lewistown Intermediate School