Mamaroneck Elementary Schools Get New STEM Learning Labs

MAMARONECK, NY — New STEM learning labs planned for each of Mamaroneck's four elementary with help from the Mamaroneck Schools Foundation are on track to open early this fall, district officials said Tuesday.

With equipment purchased through the $40,000 grant, the district is creating hands-on learning labs for students incorporating high-tech equipment such as 3D printers, a vinyl printer/cutter, and kid-friendly building materials across the subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The initiative is also supported by the district's new STEM director, Robert Hohn, working with two new elementary STEM teachers to develop a K-12 curriculum for the labs. A STEM Lab is also being built at Mamaroneck High School.

"The equipment supported by this grant will enable our youngest learners to engage in authentic, project-based learning experiences that promote 21st century skills — like collaboration, resilience, and the iterative design-thinking process — while helping to create responsible citizens in a multicultural world," Hohn said in an announcement in June.

The STEM Learning Labs will be used by classroom teachers as well as the STEM teachers, district officials said.

“A continuum of curriculum is important in preparing students for the work being done at each school level as they progress through our system,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Shaps said. “The STEM Learning Hubs will enable students to use modern technology to advance their learning and offer students expanded possibilities for deeper exploration of curricular areas.”

The $40,000 STEM Learning Hubs grant is an addition to the slate of 2022-23 grants announced by the Foundation earlier in 2022.

"We are always pleased and excited to be able to partner with the District to provide opportunities for innovative learning," MSF President Jackie Emmet said in the announcement. "This particular initiative serves as a critical bridge between the middle school/high school STEM curriculum and our elementary learners and is a wonderful example of the type of programming that MSF loves to support!"