Students Participate in Magnolia Public School's 2024 STEAM Expo

From experiments about slime consistency and forensic science, to vehicles built out of home DVDs, students from Magnolia Science Academy 4 (MSA-4) , a school in Venice serving students in grades 6-12, presented year-long science and art projects, competed in robotics, and were inspired by NASA astronaut (former), José Hernández, at the Magnolia Public Schools (MPS) STEAM Expo 2024 held last Saturday, April 27, at the Long Beach Convention Center.

“We are a small community-like school partnering with organizations to bring different projects and engage students in new programs,” said Musa Avsar, principal at MSA-4. “We get many students who are first generation, coming from socio-economically disadvantaged communities, and are seeking a quality education. Our school helps them meet these goals,” added Avsar.

According to MSA-4 Science teacher, Chris Marten, in order to participate in the STEAM Expo, students needed a lot of direct support in the classroom and were held to the standards of the L.A. County Science Fair. Especially notable was a group of students who are recent arrivals from Guatemala.

“We have a group of students who are recent arrivals and it’s incredible to see them working on robotics and presenting at the Expo, as they are simultaneously acquiring English fluency,” said Marten. “They are compassionate about each other, and are students who have been conditioned to believe they’re not high achievers. Once they got involved and started asking questions, it all clicked. They are amazing potential future engineers,” added Marten.

At the Expo, students also had a unique opportunity to hear from and meet NASA engineer and astronaut (former), José M. Hernández, who talked about his incredible journey from migrant farmworker to NASA space explorer. Speaking to an audience of more than 500 students and their families, and Magnolia educators, Hernández gave a message of resilience and opportunities created through innovation. He talked about being rejected by NASA 12 times, but persevering by learning new skills that brought him closer to his goal of becoming an astronaut: “Sometimes you have to do things you don’t like in the short-term, to change the end game,” said Hernández.

MPS is a network of 10 tuition-free college preparatory charter public schools in SoCal focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM). All schools are located in high-need areas from the San Fernando Valley to South Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego. Nearly 78% of students are on Free and Reduced Meal programs, 78% are Latino, 15% are students with disabilities, and 20% are English Learners.

“The STEAM Expo presents what is possible in STEAM fields for students living in underserved communities,” said Alfredo Rubalcava, Magnolia Public Schools CEO and Superintendent. “Our students are learning that there are people from our communities doing great things. If they apply the skills they learn at school and events like these, they too will find success in life,” added Rubalcava.

To learn more about the MPS STEAM Expo visit https://www.magnoliapublicschools.org/ and follow MPS on social media: Instagram @magnoliapublicschools, X @magnolia schools, and Facebook @magnoliapublicschools.