STEAM Innovation Day at Hendrick Hudson School District

STEAM INNOVATION DAY HIGHLIGHTS CLASSROOM TECHNOLOGY

The halls of Hendrick Hudson High School were buzzing with activity, as students and teachers shined a spotlight on the district’s ongoing efforts in the fields of science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) during the district’s first-ever STEAM Innovation Day.

The event, held on Saturday, March 25, featured presentations from teachers and their students as they demonstrated the numerous ways technology is being utilized across a wide array of subject areas. Director of Technology Vineetha Joy—who joined the district last year—ran a similar event at another district and said that keeping community members informed about the ever-evolving integration of STEAM into lesson plans is key to the growth of classroom technology.

“Teachers are doing more project- and problem-based learning in the classrooms, and all this technology is available to them now,” said Joy. “We are showing what they do every day in their classrooms.”

Megan Boyle, who teaches fourth and fifth grade, had students demonstrate their work with Sphero BOLTS—cylindrical coding robots—as they programmed the devices to complete mazes laid out on the floor. Boyle said it was especially important to keep parents in the loop regarding advancements in classroom technology because of the huge changes to curriculum over the last several years.

“I wanted to put something together where the kids could demonstrate what they’re doing because many parents are unfamiliar with today’s tech-based instruction, “said Boyle. “I think as a parent, you’re seeing how much students can do, but it looks intimidating when you haven’t been introduced to the technology.”

STEAM Innovation Day provided a through-line of instruction, from early elementary students’ introduction to technology all the way up to technology-influenced curriculum at the high school level.  The district’s art classes have also availed themselves of these new processes, as highlighted by presentations on Interactive Art and Design and Creative Animated Machines.

“We’ve been trying to incorporate technology and engineering components into our art curriculum for a long time because art does permeate everything,” said BMMS art teacher Paul Gioacchini. “We are really lucky that this district and the HHCEF (Hendrick Hudson Community Educational Foundation) provide us with support, because these are real world applications.”

The event also included presentations from vendors aimed at enlightening community members about other innovations at the forefront of the STEAM movement, including drone piloting and E-Sports.

Eighth grader Logan Friedman, who sat in on the E-Sports talk, said that he would be eager to participate in an E-Sports club, should one be made available to students in the district.

“I play with my friends, but there’s really so much that goes into E-Sports,” he said. “I’d definitely be interested in joining if they brought it here.”

Ultimately, Joy said the inaugural STEAM Innovation Day was a success, and she hopes to see the event—and the STEAM offerings in the Hendrick Hudson School District—continue to grow.

“If you don’t put these things out there, people don’t know that they exist,” she said. “It’s good for our elementary school students to look at the STEAM Club and realize there’s a club they can join in the future. If kids are interested in game design, they know they’ll have a place to go. You have to have a path all the way through to the high school, and that has to start in kindergarten.