Donors Choose comes through for Hadley, Homer Junior High students

Students at Hadley Middle School and Homer Junior High School will have an opportunity to make their own Mars Rover or unleash their inner rockstar thanks to the generosity of others.

Teachers Andy Dole and Stephanie Moore reached out to strangers, posting a message on Donors Choose (a website where teachers can post items that they need for their classrooms), seeking donations to supplement the hands-on learning materials their students use to explore, create, problem solve and innovate.

Within six days, they had received more than $500 in pledges -- enough to purchase a littleBits Space Kit designed by NASA scientists and a littleBits Synth Kit that enables amateur musicians to compose music on an easy-to-use modular synthesizer. They also received enough pledges to secure a digital camera, which will be used to document student work.

“We are extremely grateful to have people in our lives who will donate money to make our classroom experience the best that we can,” said Dole, who challenges students to create, collaborate, problem solve and design products in the district’s new S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math) lab at Hadley Middle School.

Moore does the same at Homer Junior High.

“So many of our students will benefit from the donations,” she said, “because our curriculum gives each one an opportunity to explore the S.T.E.A.M. class starting in grade 5 and continuing through grade 8.”

Students in the S.T.E.A.M. labs are given 10 days to complete each project. They begin by creating a learning goal and then working toward that goal. Finally, they reflect on their successes and failures.

Among the projects students have tackled this year are building lego robots, designing roller coasters and using Kano (a DIY computer kit) to assemble a computer from scratch while learning basic coding skills.

The materials donated through Donors Choose will enable students to have even more projects to “tinker” with each day as they build their creative confidence.

“We want our students to be able to build whatever they dream up,” said Dole. “We want our S.T.E.A.M. labs to inspire students and pave the way for them to become inventors or creators of future technology.”

Hoping to expand the variety of engagement projects even further, Dole and Moore are planning another Donors Choose project in October.

“The more technology we have available for the students, the more creative the students can be,” said Moore.

Those interested in joining the effort to expand the S.T.E.A.M. lab opportunities at Hadley Middle School and Homer Junior High may visit the Donors Choose website at http://www.donorschoose.org/

Of, if they have any materials or items they want to donate directly to the S.T.E.A.M. labs, please contact Dole at adole@homerschools.org or Moore at smoore@homerschools.org.

To learn more about the S.T.E.A.M. Lab curriculum and resources, visit the classroom website at https://sites.google.com/a/homerschools.org/steam/