Freshmen wake up and go to school with the same routine every day. But this day was a little different.
Oct. 24-25, Dallastown High School introduced a new STEM Summit to the students in 9th grade in hopes of introducing the career pathways.
Dallastown has partnered with Junior Achievement which offers free career planning to students in any grade level. This was one of the two programs that they provide for students at the high school level.
Offering this to only freshmen may seem odd, but this is for a reason.
“They would be best positioned to benefit from it for the full four years they would be in high school,” Supervisor of Pupil Services Mr. Probert says.
Students participated in hands-on activities on different career-based topics. The STEM Summit also allowed students to work together to code, build structures, experiment, and many more.
This also formed new connections between peers.
Students went to eight different stations in 25-minute increments. Each station was based on a subject of the STEM fields.
The first station offered was demonstrating chemistry. During this rotation, students took two chemicals and mixed them to watch the reaction grow and harden into polyurethane.
The second session focused on electrical. Students were separated into groups to work together to wire a circuit including a buzzer, light switch, and receptacle.
After station two, they went on to work with engineering. Students were placed into groups to see which group could build the sturdiest bridge using limited materials in a short amount of time.
The fourth station was biology-based. Students diagnosed two different patients with illnesses by performing lab tests. They also attempted to simulate the spread of disease through an experiment.
The fifth session was based on math. This consisted of problem-solving, brain teasers, puzzles, and geometry for students to complete.
The sixth station was technology. They coded a ROOT Robot to move, draw, light up, and play music.
After coding the robot, they moved on to trades. Students completed a plumbing challenge with a group of friends.
“This was my favorite session because it was very interactive and I felt it was very close to what someone in that field would actually do,” freshman Riley Fletcher said.
The last and final session included dealing with the environment. Groups of teens designed a miniature water filter and the water was tested for clarity.
This opportunity gave students a grip on the different career pathways that they could take in the future and lined them up for success.
“We hope that students now use their newfound knowledge of STEM fields to help them schedule courses for next year and prepare them for possible experiences outside the walls of DAHS,” Probert said.
