STEM Christmas comes early for 450 Somerton students

Christmas came early for 450 students at Somerton Middle School this year. Together, APS and the Phoenix Suns awarded 28 teachers, including Karina Suarez of Somerton, with mini-grants totaling more than $48,000 to fund a wide-range of hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) projects throughout Arizona.

In Somerton, students will act as Mars exploratory rover engineers as they evaluate rover equipment then build and program the robotic vehicle. Along with applying the scientific method to design a working mechanism to collect several rock samples, students will study the different NASA robots and missions used on Mars.

Throughout Arizona, students will learn science, technology, engineering and math through projects like “Full STEAM Ahead,” “Magnetic Wall” and “STEM Greenhouse.” Respectively, these projects will involve students building their own musical instruments (“arts” is the A that turns STEM to STEAM), learning how to apply geometry and physics, and exploring the process of scientific method and a plant’s lifecycle.

The mini-grants from APS and the Phoenix Suns are creating dynamic educational opportunities for students who otherwise would not be exposed to the different career opportunities in STEM fields. According to the Arizona STEM Network, STEM jobs in the state will grow 23 percent by 2024, faster than the national average of 16 percent. However, only 46 percent of parents in Arizona reported that their child’s after-school program offered STEMrelated learning opportunities, compared with a U.S. average of 69 percent.

Arizona students should get to experience all of their career choices, those with such high projected job growth. That’s why I’m proud to work for a company that is working to create those experiences and has been doing so through this program for 13 years and counting. In fact, APS and the Suns’ continued partnership and promotion of STEM education in Arizona schools has amounted to more than $600,000 in grants, impacting tens of thousands of students.

During the holidays, some go all-out with holiday decorating schemes that could almost qualify as STEM projects themselves. So, I would feel like I didn’t check my list twice if I missed sharing some safety tips this holiday season.

· It’s important to turn off holiday lights before going to sleep or leaving the house unattended.

· When stringing lights outside, use a dry wooden or fiberglass ladder – and be sure to stay away from overhead power lines.

· Consider using LED (light-emitting diode) holiday lights, which run much cooler than their traditional counterparts, are less of a fire risk and use much less energy.

· If you are using a live Christmas tree, make sure to check the water level in the tree stand daily. If the tree is losing a large number of needles, or if the needles become brittle, do not turn on any electrical lights strung on the branches. The heat from the lights could cause a fire.

Finally, from our APS family to yours, we wish you a joyous and safe holiday season.