SCARBOROUGH — The Wentworth School PTA is preparing for STEAM Night, happening on March 12 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and, like always, it will be a free, family-friendly night where Wentworth families are invited to attend and interact.
With March 14, also known as International Pi Day, is close to the event, so the “Pi Day” Pie Auction will be returning for a second year, said Kimberly French, president of the PTA. Wentworth Families are invited to donate a pie. Homemade or store-bought are welcome, she added, and the money raised will go towards the refreshments served.
Some popular returning stations will include an obstacle course, a green room for picture-taking, free pizza and bingo, said French.
She said that each of the activities revolves around one or more elements of the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) program.
“For instance, we have a marimba workshop — done by the music teacher,” she said. “We have the art teachers doing what they call light saber cars. They merge art and technology. We have an obstacle course, so that is less STEM than motion but still very important. We have map circuits, the photo booth. Last year we did some coding. I believe we’ll have something like that as well. Creation stations and various things like that, always math. Usually our math coach or one of the teachers host a table.”
While the obstacle course tends to be the most popular station every year, this time, Keith Kitchin, the physical education teacher, and fifth-grade teacher Patrick Reagan are using STEAM Night’s course as an outline for a future, larger course students will have the opportunity to complete in the spring, said French. The two teachers received grant money to make the upcoming “Wentworth Warrior Challenge” possible.
A big benefit to STEAM night, besides the activities, French said, is the chance for members of the school community to interact with one another. Since Wentworth is broken into four different learning communities, two friends in two different learning communities might not get to see each other every day.
Wentworth School focuses on STEAM-related material more than just one night a year, said French. The students receive educational opportunities in each of the disciplines every day.
“I’d say they’d get a very good overall STEAM education,” French said. “It’s gone on for many years. Students have music in third and fourth grade, and in fifth grade they have band once a week. Each student picks an instrument to play. They have STEM weekly. They’re working on coding and all kinds of computer programming and creations with STEM teachers. They do engineering aspects. They do art once a week and the art teachers have an incredible curriculum, using clay and other forms. It amazes me what they can produce.”
This is French’s second year working on STEAM night, and she said that she has enjoyed coming up with new stations and keeping things fresh for the students. Although some popular items, last year’s pie raffle, are continuing this year.
“I think we added a lot of new stations,” said French. “In the past the same stations had been done over and over. We try to have self-run stations for kids to get up and go. We have quieter events in the library as well.”
The PTA is still looking for more volunteers to sign up, said French. The more people who volunteer, the easier it is for the PTA to run the stations. A link to sign up, or donate a pie, is located on the Wentworth PTA Facebook page, she said.
“The most challenging part is always getting volunteers,” she said. “We have a really well-populated school and I understand parents would like to just come and hang out. They’re super busy, but we could always use more hands. We have a limited board and then having the board volunteering stretches us thin.”
She added that volunteering would include a 45-minute time block and free pizza as a bonus.
The links to sign up to volunteer or to donate a pie can be found at facebook.com/wentworthpta.
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