HOWELL – In biology a stem is critical to stability, support, growth, and maturity for plants. Likewise, when it comes to the Howell P.A.L. program the S.T.E.M. is no different.
The acronym S.T.E.M. stands for science, technology, engineering, and math, and while those seem like subjects that many students learn to round out one’s essential “core” requirements in an educational curriculum, many individuals love to immerse themselves in such pursuits. That’s especially true for youngsters enrolled in the S.T.E.M. program run by the Howell P.A.L., where older participants mentor and guide younger peers through a range of science-related activities and competitions that build self-confidence, teamwork, and personal pride as well as teach problem solving.
The program has been in place since 2019, when Chris Hill and Jamie Szyarto of the Howell P.A.L. approached Skye Donzelli, who has worked over 20 years as a teacher in the township’s school system. Donzelli has a Masters in educational technology and has taught computer science and media, so she seemed the natural choice to head up the S.T.E.M. program.
The idea of a team solving problems and working together towards common goals is what Donzelli stresses in the classes. As someone who has published a book on computer coding for children, she knows how to use her skills to impart that knowledge to eager young minds.
“This is younger kids working with older ones,” explained Donzelli about the peer-to-peer collaboration, “which is a very important aspect of the program, because it [has] benefits for both the older students and the younger students. [With] the older kids, you could just see the pride that they feel. They’re sharing their knowledge, and they get to be role models. I think we just all know that kids listen so much better and are so much more enthusiastic when the information is coming from a cool older kid. The younger kids gain so much knowledge just thinking, ‘that could be me when I grow up, I could be helping other people.’ They gain an example of maturity, as well. Some kids don’t have an older peer to look up to, and this is a nice way to introduce that.”
There are three divisions in the S.T.E.M. program, involving a water unit, a team building unit, and a Lego unit.
It all begins with team building, which forms the basis for the foundation of the other events. Through experience and the introduction of science-related exercises and tasks, the youngsters in the program learn to tackle problems cooperatively, which sets them up for not only success in the program, but through other life experiences. The program runs over the course of a year.
Of course, it has been well documented that boys and girls that participate in sports learn many of the valuable lessons that are carried through life such as teamwork, cooperation, division of labor and overcoming adversity in the face of failure. But for those uninterested in sports or whose interests tend more towards the cerebral pursuits, options such as the S.T.E.M. program offer an alternative path to learn those lessons.
“There’s a lot of tech kids out there, and we can change them from being a passive user to a creator of technology,” Donzelli said. “Get them away from just being one-on-one with their computer and put them on a team. Learning how to work together, learning how to fail forward, learning to take risks. I think the number one thing that I teach is problem solving and not to give up when things are hard. That really is the heart of all the programs that I teach, because that’s one of the most valuable skills these kids can learn as they get older.”
Each of the aspects of S.T.E.M. relates to part of the overall program. As to the science portion of the experience, the participants will learn about the importance of water, and eco-friendly ways to preserve it. Technology centers around coding and learning how to program specific commands into robots.
Engineering is encapsulated in the Lego Robotics portion of the program, while the “M” in S.T.E.M. stands for mathematics, which Donzelli hinted, “is done in a fun way.” For example, the program recently held the “Toilet Paper Olympics,” wherein the participants learned to measure with the use of sheets of toilet paper instead of traditional standard units of measurement.
Introducing kids to computer programming works best the earlier they start, and by making it fun through presenting it as a different playtime activity, even kindergarteners can be taught. Proponents of introducing technology to kids early in their lives leads to children’s increased independence. As the world gets increasingly reliant on digital formats, kids will grow into young adults who will be better equipped to step into the workforce.
The Howell P.A.L. also runs the First Lego League Explore and Workshop that introduces younger (ages six to 10) kids to the world of Lego Robotics and coding in a cooperative environment. But, rather than there being a competition at the end, the course concludes with a public exhibition of the knowledge learned over their time together.
Donzelli first runs a workshop for kids, where they get the skills necessary to participate in the more intensive First Lego League Challenge. The program has a limit of 15 participants, so the spots fill up quickly.
Slated to start again in September, the participants go through the program and learn the basic skills they need to move on to join competitions. They first compete locally, then regionally, statewide, and even nationally. The best of the best then move on to an international competition. The Lego League Challenger competition is open for participants between the ages of nine to 13.
The most recent challenge was sponsored by Amazon and featured the theme of transportation. This year’s upcoming challenge will be announced in August and will center around energy, specifically, environmentally friendly ways to save and use it.
For the uninitiated, Donzelli recently ran a summer camp called the “Gamemaker’s Challenge” where, during a one-week session, kids took their first steps and learned the tech skills they need to compete in the future.
In addition to returning in September, the S.T.E.M. program will include a winter program that will feature Robotic Legos under a video game theme for all ages. Just as with Little League, Pop Warner and intramural sports, the Howell P.A.L. is also looking for local businesses that may be willing to sponsor the S.T.E.M. teams. Interested individuals can reach out to the Howell P.A.L. at (732) 919-2825 or info@howellpal.org.
