BUFFALO, NY (WKBWO — The Buffalo Public School District is now offering a STEM program at all its city schools, K-12.
“They are the first large, urban large pathway district in the world,” reflected Jim Klubek, educational consultant, Woz Ed.
The district adopting the Woz Ed STEM Career Pathways Program. It’s in full swing in a classroom at Hamlin Park School.
“The ring is floating in the air,” instructed Michael Sellino, technology teacher.
Hamlin Park 7th and 8th graders are immersed in a class about Computer-Aided Design known as CAD and 3-D printing.
“It's cool — you can 3-D print what you put your mind to it,” explained Kavon Johnson, 8th grader.
Hamlin Park was the first to start the Woz Ed Stem program. But now, it's in all Buffalo Public Schools, K through 12.
The program is the brainchild of Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak, with a goal of steering students toward careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
“He wants to create an engineering mindset. He wants to give the skills in technology so that when they get out of school, they already know what their passions are by exploring these STEM programs while they are in grades K-12th,” explained Klubek.
“Do hope to do something like this in a career at some point?”, Buckley asked.
“I maybe like to teach it too — it's something cool — fantastic to do,” Johnson replied.
“We're getting our foot in the door. We're dipping our toes in and getting them excited and building that foundation for something they can use later in life,” reflected Michael Selling, 7th, and 8th-grade technology teacher.
Sellino tells me it's a great way to engage students in learning and to prepare them for college and a future career.
“Math and reading is always — very important but they take a little break and they get to — like they said — use their minds and creativity a little bit and take a break from the book stuff,” Selling remarked.
Some of the STEM industry has more jobs than workers. Students can pursue careers in creative and graphic design or work in fabrication.
“What is it like for you to work on these 3-D projects in this classroom?” Buckley questioned.
“Ah, it's like fun and something quick and easy to do,” responded Jahki Nixon, 8th grader.
“I've never seen something like this before — It's new to me,” declared Johnson.
“Try telling a student that when they are flying a drone — they're not going to school that day. They will be the first one up and out the door ready to go to school, so I think what it does — it draws them and gives them the skills they need to be successful later on in life,” Klubek said.
Once students complete their project on the computer, they send it over to the 3-D printers where here they can take out their project and show us what they've created. Students designed a Channel 7 logo for us.
