Science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM as it’s more commonly known, was the topic of discussion at the Oct. 26 meeting of the Voorhees Township Board of Education.
Specifically, the board listened to a presentation by Voorhees Middle School STEM teacher Christine Blizzard about the STEM class she teaches that started this year.
Blizzard said STEM focuses on combining science, technology, engineering and math into one area with uniform projects, where a big component is inquiry-based problem solving.
Blizzard said STEM was an important area to invest time and money for children, citing data from the U.S. Department of Commerce stating that STEM-related occupations are expected to grow by 17 percent through 2018, compared to 9 percent for non-STEM occupations.
Highlighting the growth of the field, Blizzard noted she graduated from The College of New Jersey with a degree in elementary education and math/science/technology, and three years ago, the name of that program was changed to integrate STEM.
During her presentation, Blizzard had STEM students from sixth, seventh and eighth grade come before the board and present a small snapshot of the problem solving and design solutions the students have been working on.
Sixth-grade students showcased their work with computer coding and how they programmed spherical robots to move throughout rooms and mazes.
Seventh-grade students have been working with magnetic snap circuits and the flow of electricity, and at the meeting, they showed off games they created involving pressure sensors and buzzer devices.
Eighth-grade students had the chance to demonstrate a Lego robot they designed that uses touch sensors and gyroscopic sensors to avoid obstacles and perform turns.
“I’m extremely proud of everything we’ve accomplished so far in just a few months,” Blizzard said.
In other news:
• The district gave its report on violence, vandalism and harassment, intimidation and bullying.
According to district anti-bullying coordinator Susan Donnelly, during the second reporting period of last school year from January through June, the district had six confirmed HIB cases.
One case took place at ET Hamilton Elementary School, two took place at Signal Hill Elementary School, and three took place at VMS.
Donnelly said all instances have been previously reviewed and affirmed by the board.
In addition to the HIB reporting, Donnelly also reviewed the data for the reports of violence, vandalism and substance abuse for the second period.
During the reporting period, there were 17 incidents, all of which took place at VMS, according to Donnelly. She said there were no instances of any type of substance abuse and two instances of verbal threats, with the remaining 15 incidents all in the category of physical altercations.
Donnelly said the numbers during the second half of last year were an increase from the first half, which is typical; as the school year moves on, students’ behaviors tend to heighten, and it was also typical for the instances to occur at the middle school level versus the elementary school level due to the developmental age of the students there.
• This summer, the district will execute the roof project at Signal Hill. According to district assistant superintendent for business Dr. Frank T. DeBerardinis, the work will be a major project and all summer programs will have to be moved to ET Hamilton while the process is underway.
