Living STEM! At Elementary Schools

Students in the Herricks Public Schools’ elementary buildings experienced science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in a new light, thanks to a Living STEM! series.
The hands-on experience connected students with women who have chosen careers in STEM-related fields and helped them see for themselves the ways in which these professions contribute to society.
The goal was to immerse students ranging from grades K-5 in mini-events that ignite and foster excitement about STEM. By conversing and working with the guests, who served as role models, students made new discoveries that supported the curriculum.
After a successful visit to Herricks last year, Stacy Clark, a civil engineer, returned to engage students in an activity involving water filtration. She described her current project of creating green infrastructure in the form of bioswales in New York City, discussed the Flint water crisis and facilitated water filtration lessons that were differentiated based on grade levels. Other female engineers and STEM experts led classroom lessons and activities in a total of 12 classrooms across Center Street, Denton Avenue and Searingtown Schools.
Guests worked with students in grades 4-5 to model how dirt, sand, and gravel filter water and how bioswales use these materials as well as plants, which students recently studied, to both beautify communities and clean storm water. Students in grades K-3 cleaned swamp water by pouring water through different materials and, in the process, explored filters and contaminants.