Stockton- Lincoln High School brought the World of STEAM to their campus with an event open to all students in the district. It was held on Saturday, March 23, from 10:00am to 2:00pm with a day full of activities. These ranged from science to technology, engineering, art, math, and music. Schools were able to showcase what students have learned and share it with all the other families from around the district. People were brought together to help celebrate students’ skills and creativity from this year.
To recap the event and all the amazing projects that were being shown, let’s start with all the different programs from Lincoln Unified Schools. To start off, Colonial Heights taught kids how to use microscopes which showed different images of pieces of wilderness. Lincoln Elementary taught kids how to make a fun project called hoop gliders, a different type of paper airplane with hands on engineering. Village Oaks and Claudia Landen put the A in STEAM with fun art projects such as hands on rock painting and making art on canvas with salad spinners! Brookside showed kids how building legos is actually a super exciting way to use our engineering skills while still having lots of fun. Lincoln High School’s Engineering Academy educated kids on their amazing construction program, and showed them some of the projects they would get to do if they joined. Lastly, Don Riggio got the attention of many students and families with their fascinating 3D printing pens which incorporate technology, art, and engineering together. All of the schools that participated brought amazing activities for all that attended, and made the day fun, exciting, and full of STEAM.
Along with all the schools, many different programs came to show kids all the different ways they could get involved with STEAM in their everyday life, along with how much it is found in the world we live in today. Many organizations showed their amazing science skills by making liquid nitrogen, elephant toothpaste and much more! San Joaquin County of Education and Code Stack Academy showed off the world of coding and how to make simple animations on computers. University of Pacific Motor Sports and School of Engineering and Computer Science helped teach kids what it means to be a dreamer, creator, and innovator. They showed off some of their new innovations they’ve made as well as informing everyone who came about their new motorsports club on campus. They have begun competing in competitions with schools all over the country and are excited to continue expanding their club. Bricks 4 Kidz taught kids about how awesome legos can be and how they also have mechanical uses too if you get creative enough! Rethink Your Drink organization educated attendees on what added sugars are and how to keep healthy with good food choices. San Joaquin County Sheriffs brought their amazing R2D2 droid which kids loved! California STEAM showed kids how the power of light and art work together with their super fascinating artwork. To finish it off with all the amazing booths at this event, the Stockton Delta Amateur Radio Club set out all their equipment to teach kids everything that goes into the program and what they do.
This creative event full of liveliness was created by Lincoln’s principal Katherine Bender. This past week would mark the fifth year of this event. Once the pandemic hit, it was done online, making sure there was still a way for students to learn about the wonders of STEAM. Last year marked the first year it went live again, with 800 people in attendance. To speak on the event and how they feel on it is Don Riggio teachers Sara Lea and Jessica Hoffman. Lea has been participating in this event for five years now, and Hoffman has been for three years. When asked how they feel about this event, both felt it was an amazing opportunity due to all the activities for children of every age, and how hands-on the STEAM experience is. Don Riggio’s booth was a hands-on activity with 3D pens where kids could be creative and make all different designs. Sara Lea was in charge of the booth, and spoke on why she chose this as her activity for the event. “ We chose the 3D pens because it’s something children of all ages and even adults enjoy learning how to use to show their creativity. The hope is that it might spark curiosity into the technology of 3D printing and how it is used on a larger scale.” It definitely had a huge impact, with a full booth all day and kids packing in to try these amazing pieces of technology!
Steam helps to build creative skills and problem-solving abilities, along with critical thinking skills students need in their everyday life. With this beneficial event put on by Lincoln, students in the district get all the opportunities to become more educated on the various topics of STEAM. If you didn’t make it to this year’s world of STEAM, be sure to check it out next year because it’s a must not miss event!
