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STEAM Opportunities For All

Any time a new session starts, we welcome a mix of friendly and familiar faces alongside new and enthusiastic faces into our classrooms. In our first week back in the new year, we were absolutely blessed to welcome a bunch of new students, a significant number of which came from very diverse backgrounds.

First was Matvey, a bright and curious 7 year old boy whose family recently moved to the states from Russia. While students that speak primary languages other than English is far from rare in Southwest Florida, having a student that speaks Russian–and only Russian, can present certain challenges. However, armed with Google Translate, the universal language of curiosity, and a healthy dose of enthusiasm, Matvey didn’t just participate, he excelled in our robotics challenges and 3D modeling challenges. In spite of having just moved to a new country, not knowing the language, not knowing anybody in the class, the teacher, or having ever used LEGO Mindstorms before, there was Matvey beaming with excitement as he worked with his English-speaking partner, building, testing, and programming his robot to complete an obstacle course. As I watched the boys learn how to communicate with each other and their newly built robot, I couldn’t help but be filled with pride.

If Matvey was the only confirmation that Full STEAM Ahead was doing great things, that would have been enough. But then, there were 46 more. They filed off the school bus a touch confused, and glared strangely at Hilary and me as we introduced ourselves, which is fair enough–we’re a bit strange. The kids, ranging from Kindergarten to 5th grade, are part of a phenomenal outreach program put together by Sports Club to give a group underprivileged students from Poinciana Elementary extra opportunities for high-quality after school care and enrichment. When Sports Club mentioned to us that we could be a part of this amazing opportunity to give these kids much needed STEAM opportunities, we didn’t even stop to think about it. We were in.

So here they were. 46 of them in total from varied backgrounds, but sharing one thing in common: after school enrichment had never really been an option for them before. Most were bilingual in Spanish and English, and all had some idea, but not a complete idea, about what they were here to do. We split the groups up into younger kids and older kids, and half went to play sports while the other half came with us. After the first half, we welcomed the second half who were no less enthusiastic and we got to do it all again. We brought them up the stairs to our makerspace and music classroom, and for the first time as a direct result of something we did, we saw smiles creep across their faces. The pianos, the guitars, the drums came into view first, and we started hearing some whispers and “woahs”. Half the group continued into the makerspace to see robots, computers, wires everywhere, and strange machines printing what looked like toys. The smiles spread wider, and I knew that this was going to be an incredible experience for all of us.

Our first lesson was short because of some first day procedural business. We taught them some piano and programmed Ozobots to play a simple game. But by the end of it, the smiles had erupted into laughter, curiosity, fun, and a million questions. They already couldn’t wait to come back next week, and we can’t wait to have them back.

Early on, we made it our mission to reach all populations of students with Full STEAM Ahead–not just those that could regularly afford after school enrichment. It isn’t always easy. As small business owners and teachers, we have to balance our need for capital to keep ourselves and our business afloat with our goals of making a profound difference in the lives of as many students as we can reach. However, when opportunities arrive to help those that need it most, we will always jump on them. Hilary and I are immensely grateful for the opportunity provided through the work of Sports Club and the kids, families, teachers, and counselors from Poinciana Elementary, and can’t wait to continue the program!

For the loveDemoOf learning
    • Ft Myers Location

      1901 Brantley Rd
      Unit 12
      Ft Myers, FL 33907 USA
      (239) 689-3602
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      (239) 689-3602
      info@fullsteamaheadFL.com

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    • Current Naples Location

      7070 Immokalee Rd
      @ St Monica's
      Naples, FL 34119 USA
      (239) 689-3602



      NEW Naples Location (coming soon)

      2659 Professional Cir. Suite 1108
      Naples, FL 34119 USA
      (239) 689-3602