While the world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) is thriving in many of the classrooms in the Palm Springs Unified School District (PSUSD), many of the students’ families are unfamiliar with the educational practices and methods surrounding these fields.
That’s where PSUSD’s STEMCon Conference comes in. The District’s Family Engagement Center recently hosted the District’s third annual event where a few hundred students and family members participated in hands-on learning opportunities that showed how academic concepts are applied to real-world experiences.
Held at the Desert Hot Springs High School gymnasium, the late afternoon event included a Makerspace area, two workshop sessions, and dinner and raffle prizes. The event was entirely free and also included complimentary child care.
In the Makerspaces, families used a variety of different materials to create and explore STEM-related challenges such as using simple coding to control a robot to make it through a maze or connecting circuits to make a light work. District staff members including teachers and librarians as well as a few community providers presented workshops on a wide array of STEM topics.
“Parents are students really loved the variety of workshop options,” said PSUSD Family Engagement Coordinator Ruby Rivera. “Based on survey results, it looks like the opportunity to travel the world using a virtual reality headset was a crowd favorite.”
The Family Engagement department collaborated with PSUSD technology teachers on special assignment as well as parent leaders to plan STEMCon.
“We also worked closely with the teachers facilitating workshops to best plan for an audience that includes families of all ages,” said Rivera adding that attendees ranged from infants to grandparents and all ages in between.
Cathedral City High School Health Environmental Academy of Learning (HEAL) Anatomy teacher Brad Fleener addressed the topic of Cardiovascular Health in his workshop. Attendees learned the structure and function of the heart and its path of blood. They were able to perform a “virtual” bypass surgery and dissect a sheep heart.
At the Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) workshop, Renee Hickey taught attendees about breathing emergencies, what to do for choking or when the heart stops, chest compressions and emergency first aid. They also got to practice their newly-learned techniques on mannequins.
PSUSD Instructional Technology Coach Ursula Fabiano led the Virtual Reality and Google Expeditions where participants were able to explore far-away destinations from their seats by using virtual reality goggles and Google Expeditions.
At the Esports and Gaming Impact session, Instructional Technology Specialist Eduardo Rivera demonstrated how games and gaming can be a part of a positive family experience. His philosophy: “A family that games together stays together.”
In the Physics and Engineering world, PSUSD Physics and Engineering Teacher Shawn Kirby taught participants how to design and build their own homopolar motors which include a piece of art comprised of copper wire, a battery and a few magnets.
English Teacher Jessica Parent led the workshop on “Stem & Stories.” Attendees learned how literacy is more than just about reading books to children. Rather it’s about engagement, writing, speaking, and listening and growth mindset. Families who attended became engineers and problem solvers.
In the math education session, Financial Advisor Yesenia Preciado taught families about compounding numbers and applying them to their finances, health and habits. And in the Problem Solving and Collaboration workshop, teacher Christina Alaniz showed attendees how they can work together as a family to “break out of the box” by solving the math problem clues to unlock the locks on the “box.”
“A STEM-themed conference is so important because our children need to be supported by both the school district and their families in these growing fields,” said Rivera. “The Coachella Valley in general needs to provide more opportunities for our families in their area, and we want to ensure that families have free access to learn about these important topics. Participating in a STEM-themed conference has a positive impact on our families’ beliefs in their abilities to develop STEM skills and pursue a future education or career in these fields.”
Photo by: Ruby Rivera
Joan Boiko is the Coordinator of Communications and Community Outreach for PSUSD. She can be reached at jboiko@psusd.us or by calling (760) 883-2701, ext. 2.
