- Meyersdale Area School District
- Overview
STEM Night planned for March 10
MEYERSDALE - Students at the Meyersdale Area Elementary School are excited to present the Fifth Annual STEM Day/Science Fair on March 10. Sponsored by the Meyersdale Area Educational Boosters, this STEM event is a celebration of creativity and innovation. The acronym, “STEM” is a nationally recognized educational term representing the areas of “Science,Technology, Engineering and Math.”
Students in Kindergarten through fifth grades were invited to participate through the creation of Science projects. The science fair will feature the work of all fifth grade students, as well as projects completed voluntarily by students in the lower grades. The event will be open to the public from 5 to 7 p.m.
Students were able to select their own Science projects and they chose diverse and interesting topics. Mrs. Kim Berkley, who teaches fourth and fifth grade Science, said students were encouraged to follow the scientific method by having the following components: Question, Hypothesis, Procedure, Analysis and Conclusion.
“Our hope is by using this process regularly in our investigations, our students will become comfortable with this fundamental process and prepare them for higher level science education,” Berkley added.
“Our STEM night is a collaborative effort to showcase our students’ work through projects and provide activities to keep them actively engaged in scientific exploration,” Berkley added. “Through the scientific method, students are able to conduct fair tests by answering questions and test hypotheses or possible solutions, through a controlled experiment.”
Students fully embraced the coming up with some very unusual “questions” to be tested. One pair of students tested their house cats to see if the cats are “lefties or righties.” Other projects included determining if milk or dark chocolate melts faster; the toxicity of fingernail polish; and the most effective liquid to dissolve a candy cane.
Another highlight of STEM 2020 will be the return of the Discovery Dome. The Discovery Dome is a full immersion digital movie dome and portable planetarium. Students will have the opportunity to enjoy this special presentation made possible by The Learning Lamp. Staff from The Learning Lamp will be teaching students about Earth and outer space through the Discovery Dome. Discovery Dome will be available during the evening hours of STEM Day, 5 to 7 p.m.
“This is a great event to showcase student work and spark interest with STEM related activities.
As a district- we recognize the importance of encouraging students to explore activities involving STEM,” added MAES Principal, Mr. Devin Pritts.
If you would like to join the efforts of the Meyersdale Educational Boosters, the organization meets monthly at 3 p.m. on the third Monday of each month.
The 2020 STEM / Science Day will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10 in the Meyersdale Elementary School. Please plan to attend and be prepared to be amazed by the incredible projects created by our students!