By: Marisa Riesinger, Heart River, Jefferson & Lincoln Elementary Library Media Specialist
Today, STEM skills are just as foundational as reading, writing, and math. According to the National Math and Science Initiative, the U.S. will need to fill 3.5 million STEM jobs by 2025, yet two million jobs are currently unfulfilled because of unqualified candidates (NMS, 20222). By no stretch of reality, this number will continue to grow as we advance as a global society. In fact, many of the jobs our students will have do not currently exist. Still, Dickinson is in a unique position to lead the nation with college and career ready students by integrating STEM into education.
Lincoln Elementary recognized the significance of integrating STEM education into teaching and learning. The school applied for and was awarded North Dakota’s first Cal Ripken Foundation STEM Center. We wanted to encourage our students to think creatively, collaboratively, and critically while applying skills to real-world situations. As a result, we have observed positive increases in student engagement, academic achievement, and personal empowerment.
These successes prompted us to hold our first schoolwide STEM Day on December 9 to celebrate student learning and share the impact with community leaders. Every grade level had a hands-on session with multiple STEM activities such as Snap Circuits to power fans, Foundational Fluencies to learn spatial reasoning, Makey Makeys to make circuits that created music using bananas, and Little Bits to construct moving vehicles. We also had community partners from Southwest Art Gallery and Science Center and EduTech set up STEM centers for the students.
Community members were invited to the all-day event to observe and participate in STEM activities with the students. The guests were amazed to see the thinking, creating, and problem-solving even the youngest of students were doing. Several Dickinson business leaders commented on the significant impact these experiences will have on the future workforce. Not only did they see the students having fun, they saw the transferable skills that will create college and career ready students.
Administrator Tammy Peterson stated, “This is an amazing opportunity to deepen learning for all students by shifting toward higher level thinking, student agency, authentic work, and technology infusion.” We are excited to continue STEM days throughout the year and provide more opportunities for community involvement. For more information or to inquire about participation, contact Marisa Riesinger at mriesinger@dpsnd.org.