Rissler Elementary School in Trenton has a club that focuses on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.
Rissler Principal Jennie Boon says that the STEAM Club’s purpose is to provide opportunities for students to compete when they get into a real-world situation.
She says the school is partnering with school districts in Chillicothe, Hamilton, and Bishop Hogan in fulfilling an MU Partnerships for Educational Renewal grant provided by the University of Missouri Columbia.
Third-grade teachers Pam Bowden and Heather Epperson sponsor the STEAM Club and attended a professional development meeting at the University of Missouri to prepare.
Boon notes that students filled out applications to be considered for the club, and 16 were accepted. She explains the teachers wrote a Grundy Electric Cooperative Grant, which awarded them over $800 for STEAM materials. The materials will be available for use to the club and to the entire student body.
The first lesson will cover the engineering design process and includes projects such as building roller coasters, programming software to run Lego contraptions, coding, designing Mandala art, learning how to sew, and using robotics.
Boon adds that students will create their own STEAM projects in the spring to be showcased at a final meeting of the year.
