More than 400 fourth through eighth grade students representing public, private, parochial and home schoolers in the St. Thomas-St. John District showcased their love of Science Technology Engineering Art and Mathematics at the first-annual “STEAM Hands-On Day” held at the UVI Sports and Fitness Center on May 19 as part of the District’s 2016 STEAM Fair, May 17-20, 2016.
“Hands-On Day” was a new addition to the annual science fair, now dubbed STEAM Fair with the inclusion of projects representing the arts. Fittingly, the theme for this year’s STEAM Fair was “Amalgamating the Arts into STEM.”
Kisha Corbett, district technology coordinator and one of three organizers of the event, said, “Students get to move from station to station, building things, exploring, having challenges with each other.”
Approximately 30 exhibits were displayed on the show floor—with projects ranging from an eco-friendly house made from plastic bottles to beautiful artwork made by using gravitational force and a simple medicine dropper.
In explaining the integration of the arts into STEM, Ms. Corbett said, “We have a lot of students that have joined graphic publishing and students that are creating artwork using illustrator and Photoshop. Overall, creating masterpieces with different computer programs.”
She said the benefits of STEAM exposure extend beyond the classroom. “I believe STEAM helps students dig deeper into thinking. They really have to explore and problem-solve and figure out why things aren’t working. It’s also where the workforce is moving, so if we get students prepared now and get them exploring STEAM, we are better preparing them for the jobs that will be available in the future.”
Mrs. Jeune Provost, 2015 Virgin Islands State Teacher, oversaw the station where students created paintings using the force of gravity. “Students were not able to use paint brushes; they could only use droppers and they had to twist and turn their canvas to actually make shapes and combine colors,” she said of the artwork students created.
Mrs. Provost pointed out that before getting into the artwork, a discussion on gravity was had with students and they viewed a video of an artist whom only uses gravity to paint. “When we do art, there is always some scientific method or theory behind it; so for this particular project, I wanted to bring in the concepts of force and gravity. We talked about those things first so the students could understand that when we stand to do our paintings or drawings, for example, we aren’t floating into space because gravity is holding us down.”
UVI’s Marine Science Division provided a demonstration on evolution using the four different species of sea turtles found in the Virgin Islands: Green, Loggerhead, Hawksbill and Leatherback. The turtles’ jaw structures have changed depending on the type of foods they eat. Additionally, the UVI team demonstrated ocean acidification.
“We breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide that goes into the atmosphere, but the ocean is also a large sink for some of that carbon dioxide,” explained Howard Forbes, Jr. of UVI. “The carbon dioxide mixes with the water and leaves a hydrogen ion behind, which makes our waters more acidic.” Forbes said that while it would take hundreds of years for Virgin Islands ocean waters to become acidic, the acid will eat away at animals that have shells, such as crabs and corals. He said planting more trees is the solution to this potential problem.
District Math Coordinator Avon Benjamin, said, “At this age, we wanted to give students a hands-on experience as much as possible. If we could get them early, then we could spark that interest into STEAM careers.”
He went on to share his excitement about the activity. “As a math educator, it’s exciting to hear the students discuss the process when they are problem-solving. You know thinking is taking place. I wanted them to have opportunities to process information. Being able to problem-solve is a real-world skill we want the students to have.”
While the May 19 Hands-On Day was designed specifically for fourth through eighth grade students to both showcase and enjoy STEAM experiments, the week-long STEAM Fair included exhibitions from K-12 graders. Winners in the high school category attended the Hands-On Day to showcase their projects to their younger peers. For a complete list of winners, go here: STTJ 2016 District STEAM Fair Results.pdf.
District Science Coordinator Gerald Walters also served as co-organizer of the 2016 STEAM Fair.
Works of art created by gravitational force using a medicine dropper.
Cadesha Frederick, R, and Destiny Frett, L, seniors at Charlotte Amalie High School stand in front of their Eco-bottle House. The idea stemmed from the students' interest in stopping pollution and providing an economic solution for sustainable living in the Virgin Islands. The house was crafted from approximately 1,500 plastic water bottles. It took the students three months to collect the bottles and prepare them, and a week to assemble the house. The bottles are held together with 100% silicone, which is a biodegradable substance.
