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Through an educational collaboration with Moraine Valley Community College, Community High School District 218’s STEAM camp, students entering grades second through eighth have been learning more about science, technology, engineering, art and math over the summer break.
By Kelly White
Kids have been rushing back to the classroom this summer.
Through an educational collaboration with Moraine Valley Community College, Community High School District 218’s STEAM camp, students entering grades second through eighth have been learning more about science, technology, engineering, art and math over the break.
These fields are providing students with the opportunity to gain exposure to the cutting-edge field of STEAM, according to Larry Langellier, Professor of Computer Science at Moraine Valley Community College.
“The two biggest benefits students receive from our STEAM classes are for them to see how fun STEAM can be and to also be introduced to a wide variety of applications of these disciplines,” Langellier said. “Students in this age range are forming interests that will become the basis for deciding what courses to take in high school, what major to pursue in college, and what careers interest them. The more exciting experiences they have, the more likely they are to consider careers in STEAM.”
Langellier has been teaching at Moraine Valley for 24 years and is the founder the Adventures in STEM Academy at Moraine Valley Community College, a program he started up 20 years ago. He has been the lead instructor for the STEAM camps at CHSD 218 since their inception in the Summer of 2017.
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Through an educational collaboration with Moraine Valley Community College, Community High School District 218’s STEAM camp, students entering grades second through eighth have been learning more about science, technology, engineering, art and math over the summer break.
The program began in the summer of 2017 with a single camp for rising seventh- and eighth-graders. It has expanded to six camps each summer and now includes rising second- to eighth-graders.
“Students attending these camps are shown the fun side of the important STEAM subjects they are taught in school,” Langellier said. “If they haven’t already considered a STEAM field as something they would like to do in the future, we hope to trigger that interest for them.”
Langellier taught the classes alongside his daughter, Alexis (Lexi) Langellier and Moraine Valley student, Jenna Abuzerr.
“As a computer science major, I was amazed by the coding projects the kids did. What they achieved in one day what took me much longer to learn,” Abuzerr said. “They have such bright futures, especially if they pursue careers in STEM. The STEAM camp helps advance their math, creativity, and logic, preparing them to become amazing engineers, scientists, mathematicians and so on.”
Abuzeer said this was her first time working with the STEAM camp, and it has been an enjoyable experience.
“The positive energy that children constantly bring makes working with them a true pleasure,” Abuzeer said. “Their excitement and fascination create a lively atmosphere, and it was incredible to see how rapidly they grasp and accomplish difficult tasks and ideas. I truly enjoyed making each child feel comfortable and free to explore and express their creativity. The STEAM program had a significant impact by promoting problem-solving and hands-on learning, helping kids understand the relationships between different subjects.”
Lexi has been assisting with Adventures in STEM courses at Moraine Valley for more than ten years and has also assisted with the STEAM Camps since their inception.
Over the past five years, she has progressed to lead instructor for many of the camp’s Math, Technology, and Engineering courses. She has also developed new courses — especially ones focused on the creative application and intersection of Art with STEM. Lexi is currently pursuing a PhD in Computational Math at Northern Illinois University and teaches college credit courses at MVCC as an adjunct.
“The biggest thing students get from these classes is exposure to the various STEAM topics and activities,” Lexi said. “STEM and STEAM jobs are in high demand and pay very well, but it’s very overwhelming trying to narrow down what direction to take. When students take these classes at a young age they are given an advantage by finding what they are passionate about early and are able to learn more about opportunities and gain experience.”
Each camp was free to attend and was offered for three to four days within a single week (12 hours total). A total of six camps were offered this summer — one for rising second- to fifth-graders and another for rising sixth- to eighth-graders was offered at Harold L. Richards High School, 10601 Central Ave., Oak Lawn.
Topics covered within the program included: LEGO robotics and engineering, game programming, Origami, digital art, engineering challenges like bridge building, paper airplanes, houses of cards, math and poetry and more.
“I like this program because of my passion for getting more women in STEAM,” Lexi said. “While this program is open for both boys and girls, I think giving girls the opportunity to see what STEAM is really like, how fun it is, and how much creativity is involved helps get more women in STEAM.”
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Through an educational collaboration with Moraine Valley Community College, Community High School District 218’s STEAM camp, students entering grades second through eighth have been learning more about science, technology, engineering, art and math over the summer break.