By Dave Warner
Scott Weiler, Director of Innovation for ITEEA’s STEM Center of Teaching and Learning, shared that Benton Hall Academy has been recognized as an ITEEA STEM School of Excellence.
“We thank you for your investment in students and respect your unique abilities to inspire, engage, and lead learners toward their future,” he stated.
Benton Hall Academy will be recognized at the Opening General Session of ITEEA’s 2023 Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Thursday, April 13, 2023.
One of the reasons the school has won the award is the field trips the students take to area colleges and universities, or their ‘college road trip series’ as they like to call it.
Tracy Young, the STEAM specialist at Benton Hall Academy, stated, “One of the reasons we won the award was because of these new initiatives that Benton Hall Academy has been doing.”
They first started out visiting Utica University. Young had told them that she wanted to come on campus and maybe do a lesson. “We decided that it would be best if it was going to enrich the program, so 3rd grade would go to Utica, and they’d learn all about materials.”
In the meantime, they had visited the Fab Lab at Mohawk Valley Community College, and they offered to have the students come there as well. “So, 5th grade now goes to MVCC.”
Young said that in the meantime, Herkimer College had caught wind of the program. “We had a meeting and told them we were closest, so we asked what they would like us to get involved in.”
HC said that the electrical lab might be interesting for students, and Young said, “This would go really well with 4th grade.”
Next year, Young says that SUNY Poly wants to be involved, so she’s looking at involving 2nd-grade students in that program.
“We are going to meet with some professors there that are doing research on animals, and we’ll be partnered with them next year,” she stated.
Young said that she doesn’t believe that any other schools are doing this but that some want to. “Nobody is doing this with elementary schools. It’s been super fun.”
“When they went to Herkimer, they came home with the lanyards. Utica University provides them with snacks, and we tie-died t-shirts at no charge. At Mohawk Valley, we do Fab Lab and work with coding and robotics, and they come home with something that says MV on it, and they also provide a snack for us.”
She said that they also did a pizza lunch at Herkimer.
Young said that it impacts the students, as she’s heard them say things like, ‘I want to go here.’ “We’re hoping that it broadens the horizons of the students about our colleges that are right here in the area. Ones that they could commute to and save money.”
“It’s very eye-opening for them.”
She also said that it’s just been wonderful that they’ve been able to go. “The school district has been really supportive of us getting busses to go to each of these. It’s a lot of field trips. But it’s small groups, a lot of engagement, and a lot of hands-on experiences.”
Bill McDonald, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at Herkimer College, stated, “We’re very grateful for the partnership with Little Falls. We had met with Tracy and her team over there, and she talked with us about her Engineering by Design Program and how she would like to have a better engagement between ourselves and her students.”
The discussion led to the current program, allowing her students to see the College’s STEAM-related programs. “In particular, electrical technology and physics,” he said.
“This is the second of four planned trips to our campus, and these students will meet professors in electrical tech and engineering, science, and physics. We’ll also be going up to the physed center to talk a bit about athletics on the campus and our programs,” McDonald stated.
Young said she’ll accept the Minnesota award at the national conference. “It goes by a point system, and it’s something you apply for. “We were well above the number of points needed to win, I think.”
One of the perks of winning the award is a spot in the STEM showcase at the ITEEA conference. “We get our own table to put out our projects and spotlight what our school has done to earn this award.”
Young also got an individual award – The New York State Technology Engineering Educators Association – STEM Teacher of Excellence Award.
“It’s the first one that’s been given by New York State,” she said. “I had to be nominated, and then I had to do an application, a video, and then had to answer a whole bunch of questions.”
