Midway Elementary School is preparing for a special night filled with hands-on activities related to science.
Duke Energy Science Night is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 23, at the school’s gymnasium, 15375 Spivey’s Corner Hwy., Dunn. The purpose is to promote science and related careers.
Students and families of fourth- through sixth-grade learners are invited to participate. MES Principal Robbin Cooper is looking forward to the event, which is part of the statewide Science Festival, presented by the Biogen Foundation.
“The Duke Night is a great way for the Midway Elementary School students to meet and interact with some middle school teachers in a fun and informal way,” Cooper said.
It’s part of the school’s transition plan to help students going to middle school, while learning through STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and problem solving. The Community Outreach program also plays a part by involving members of the community. It encourages participants to get involved with student learning.
“The concepts of STEM are important for students because, they involve higher order critical thinking and processing skills,” Cooper said. “Students apply classroom knowledge to solve problems and revise mistakes as they go in the project. STEM takes students outside the classroom worksheet learning to hands-on learning where ideas come to life.”
Ten hands-on activities are scheduled for the event. Some of them include magnetic paintings, marshmallow towers, catapults, and boat building.
“Parents and students will have a chance to explore several different stations, each with a different type of STEM focus and project,” Cooper said. “Students will build and test the projects and be able to move to the different stations.”
Teachers from Midway Elementary and Midway Middle and members of the Garden Club are facilitating, but it’s a student-led program.
“We are currently living in a STEM-driven world,” Cooper said. “It is our duty as educators to provide them with as many experiences now so they are more equipped to compete in high school, college and careers of their choice.”
The science event came about through a grant in partnership with Duke. Through the school’s library program, students have been involved with different types of coding STEM learning projects such as LEGO robotics. She thanked Duke Energy for the opportunity.