Assumption Parish Schools Hosts STEM Challenge Day for Middle School Students
Middle schoolers from across Assumption Parish engaged in hands-on STEM activities ranging from robotics to engineering and physics to aeronautics at the inaugural STEM Challenge Day on May 16.
The event was hosted by the Assumption Parish Public School System, in partnership with BayouSTEM, a regional educational institute that supports the instruction and learning of science, technology, engineering and math concepts in the greater bayou region.
“The STEM Challenge Day is a day that many of these students will fondly remember as the day they were inspired to pursue an exciting and rewarding career in science, technology, engineering or math,” Superintendent Dr. John Barthelemy said.
“Every time we can introduce our students to promising career opportunities, and we can demonstrate how their current classroom studies apply to those opportunities, then we are opening doors and building hope,” Dr. Barthelemy said.
Christie Landry, director of BayouSTEM, said the day’s activities were made available to all students in Grades 5-8 in the parish, including students at Belle Rose Middle School, Labadieville Middle School, Napoleonville Middle School, Pierre Part Elementary, and St. Elizabeth School. The day-long event was held at the Assumption Parish Community Center in Napoleonville.
“The goal of the STEM Challenge Day was to provide students with access to STEM activities and connecting the students to careers in STEM fields,” Landry said.
Landry noted that many schools across the state and nation see a drop off in STEM engagement around 7th Grade, especially among female and minority students.
“This drop off is usually associated with a fixed mind-set or bias toward the challenge and difficulty in STEM-related fields. By engaging students earlier in their educational careers, we hope to change the way students think about STEM-related jobs and careers and use that momentum to continue building our STEM workforce,” Landry said.
Dr. Barthelemy noted that the STEM Challenge Day was the first-ever parish-wide STEM event and that organizers hope to build on the project for continued exposure in Assumption Parish and to use it as pilot for other parishes in the region.
"BayouSTEM is extremely thankful for the opportunity to partner with Assumption Parish School District to pilot this program,” Landy said. "Today's event will help develop a more comprehensive STEM career exposure and Challenge program for all LaSTEM Region 3 schools. Together, we can provide an opportunity for community engagement with STEM, supported by local business and industry partners, to increase STEM access in our area."
The local business and community sponsors included Acadia Land Surveying, LLC; Teche Action Clinic; Transformyx, LLC; Ascent, Houma; and the Leland J. Falcon Campaign Fund.
STEM Challenge Day is a part of the LaSTEM Rural STEM Initiative, a collaborative program developed by LaSTEM Regional Centers in Schriever (Region 3), Alexandria (Region 6), and Ruston (Region 8). BayouSTEM, the LaSTEM Region 3 STEM Center, is housed at Fletcher Technical Community College, and serves Assumption, Lafourche, and Terrebonne Parishes.
The LaSTEM Regional STEM Centers were defined by the LaSTEM Advisory Council. The purposes of the Regional Stem Centers include building strong foundations for STEM literacy, increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM, and preparing the STEM workforce of the future.