It might be the depths of summer, but 50 soon-to-be Huntington School District sixth graders showed they aren’t quite prepared to completely sit back and forget about the classroom.
Huntington’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Summer Academy gave more than four dozen students an opportunity to expand their intellectual horizons and have fun, too.
Huntington UFSD collaborated with Farmingdale State College for a pair of one-week sessions this month. Participants traveled by bus from Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School to the college campus and worked with professors who donated their time and discussed their specific fields of study.
Huntington teachers Marybeth Stahl, Keith Miller, Abigail Simon, Vincent Tannazzo, and Danielle Lusardi Raguzin also worked with students participating in the program, helping to make sure everyone had an enjoyable learning experience.
“The way to foster genuine student learning is to provide an environment where youngsters are fully engaged and offered real-life, hands-on, problem-solving experiences,” Huntington Superintendent James W. Polansky said. “This describes the summer STEM program to the letter. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Students had a great deal of fun and many came away with new interests that they are likely to pursue even further moving forward. Thank you to an outstanding group of Huntington teachers and to our partners from SUNY Farmingdale.”
The soon to be Huntington sixth graders spent time at Farmingdale State College’s Aviation Flight Center at Republic Airport, touring various planes and using the flight simulator there. A nursing seminar allowed students to practice taking vitals on a training mannequin.
Participants had an opportunity to plant succulents in the college’s greenhouse and tour the sustainable garden in a horticulture seminar. They later learned binary code during a computer networking seminar. Additional interactive seminar topics included physics, mechanical engineering and dental hygiene.
“When they weren’t meeting with professors, the students worked in a Farmingdale State College classroom on engineering bridges from straws and masking tape,” said Jill Johanson, Huntington’s Director of STEM. “They tested the bridges by week’s end by placing weights on them to see which group’s ideas and construction were the best.”
The 50 Huntington students thoroughly enjoyed their week at Farmingdale and the teacher supervisors thought the program was a great success. “The Huntington School District is very grateful for this partnership with Farmingdale and we look forward to continuing it for years to come,” Ms. Johanson said.
