Afterschool programs pick up steam in Lodi Unified schools
A movement in the name of science is building steam at several Lodi Unified Schools. Robotics, coding, engineering and other programs are rapidly becoming available for local students.
Lodi High School is one of many schools that are offering a diverse courseload and afterschool activities in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics).
In one science classroom, under the guidance of teacher Lisa Ing, a hub of science and technology activity takes place twice a week after school.
On one side of the room, a row of large 3D printers print designs for rocketry projects and some artistic creations — a small model of a deer was printed and ready for sanding on Thursday afternoon.
“No schools in the region have 15 3D printers available to students,” Ing said. The lab will be open not only to science students, but those who want to use them for projects in other classes including art classes and even social studies, she said.
Next to the printers that afternoon were a group of students preparing a cardboard and plastic rocket for the Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) competition.
They were adding on parts to replace the flimsy balsa wood fins and body pieces that came with their rocket kit to make it fly more efficiently. The goal of the competition is to send a payload (an egg) up 775 feet into the air within 42 to 43 seconds and back down safely without damaging the egg.
This Sunday, the team will be testing their rocket in flight for the first time before their competition in May. Several of the students had already taken a drafting and engineering course, while others were more into the math and calculation side of the project and the opportunity to work together in a team. They were recommended for the team by their physics teacher.
“All of us are interested in majoring in science,” said Frenly Espino, a junior student on the TARC team.
Even some elementary schools are getting involved in science experiments that make use of the International Space Station, called Exobiology, as well as CanSats (can-sized satellites) with a group called Magnitude.io. Middle schools are offering robotics, coding, drafting, forensics, exobiology, rocketry and engineering.
The district has set a goal to create a pathway through all middle and high schools to continue having students learn skills that can be used for college or careers, according to Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Lisa Kotowski in a report at a recent school board meeting. The idea is to eventually streamline the course offerings across schools.
“It allows students to find what they’re interested in,” Ing said.
Among Lodi Unified’s high schools, robotics, engineering, computer programming and CanSat programs have been added to all four comprehensive high schools. Students at Tokay and Lodi high schools are also involved in the Storm Drain Detectives, a program to have students do research in the field on the water quality of local waterways, as well as Science Olympiad, a competition using knowledge of different fields of science.
Science Olympiad students at Lodi High were sharing space in the science room on Thursday afternoon, working on making a tall tower out of balsa wood and other types of wood that can hold several grams of sand without breaking.
The other side of the room was busy with robotic arm kits reminiscent of Lego and K’nex sets. Pieces can be attached together in a variety of different ways to make a functioning robotic arm that can be programmed. Senior student Cole Pergerson was sad to have found classes for programming and opportunities to try out robotics so late in his high school career, but he enjoyed the chance to learn more about both.
“I think everyone kind of needs to know computer science,” he said.
Another room featuring 3D printers, drafting tables and a milling machine is more active during the school day and is used for the technical drafting and engineering-type courses using computer aided design. Teacher Paul Guthrie has had students work to design jewelry boxes that open in unique ways, one student having come up with a design that twists open. Another student created a box with a cutaway baseball theme.
Guthrie also coaches the SkillsUSA team which competes in various technical skills, including drafting. They will be returning to competition in April.
The STEAM program has been so popular that a Lodi High alumnus, Chris Diekman, even returned after graduation last year to help students with projects in addition to the job he scored with Magnitude.io, which works with local schools in Lodi and Manteca Unified School Districts on rocket and satellite projects. It was his experience with the STEAM program at Lodi High which led him to become employed right out of high school.
“Even when I was at school, I felt like I helped a lot. As an advanced student I helped other people with their projects and competed in Science Olympiad — just doing whatever I can,” Diekman said.