91探花鈥檚 CA2 program expands into brick-and-mortar space, readying young minds for an open-ended future.
Inside a space once known for dozens of retail stores and a robust food court, 91探花 is helping St. Louis-area kids gear up for future careers. In September, the University opened its Interactive STEM Studio inside the reimagined Chesterfield Mall, not far from 91探花鈥檚 campus. The pop-up space next to The Cheesecake Factory is stuffed with LEGOs, robots, drones and other supplies where kids ages 4 to 16 hone their creativity along with their science, technology, engineering and math skills.
The project demonstrates the University鈥檚 mission to be a force for good in the community, according to Steve Coxon, professor and executive director of . 鈥淲e鈥檙e very excited,鈥� Coxon said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e able to offer classes that are a really good value with phenomenal teachers and provide a lot of access for kids around 91探花鈥檚 campus.鈥�
MOVING FAST ON GOOD IDEAS
The STEM Studio鈥檚 inaugural session includes more than a dozen evening and Saturday classes, with offerings for home- schoolers during the school day. A combined 200 kids are taking advantage of the studio鈥檚 offerings for a fee of $90 for six once-a-week classes. The idea builds on 91探花鈥檚 popular summer robotics camps, which enrolled 1,100 kids this past summer. Coxon and Angelina Moehlmann, program director for the CA2 elementary school science and robotics program and the STEM Studio, wanted to serve more children and teens. They also aspired to make use of camp materials 鈥� including literally millions of LEGOs provided by a $250,000 grant from the toymaker 鈥� for longer than just three months a year. Moehlmann located the inexpensive mall space, and they pitched the idea to the administration.
鈥淎nd we got a really, really quick approval,鈥� Coxon said. 鈥�91探花 is all about moving fast on good ideas.鈥� Coxon and Moehlmann worked with STEM Studio Associate Director Dustin Nadler, PhD, and Coordinator Gretchen Roberts to make their vision a reality. The process included a bit of dirty work as they cleaned up debris to make the dilapidated space habitable. 鈥淚t was very hands-on,鈥� Coxon said.
Keeping it hands-on is also a key component of the lab鈥檚 classes. In age- appropriate groups, young people learn to program robots and drones, create video games and virtual reality experiences, and build skyscrapers and bridges. It鈥檚 nothing like school 鈥� no tests, grades or red-pencil corrections, according to Moehlmann. 鈥淚t鈥檚 loud and busy, student-driven and play-based,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou have a buy-in from the kids when learning happens through the actvities they鈥檙e doing rather than a teacher just doling out information.鈥�
Even as they enjoy themselves, students are honing their problem-solving skills and spatial abilities while engaging in high-level processes, including design thinking and prototyping 鈥� all components of the modern workplace. 鈥淚n a rapidly changing world, no one can predict what jobs will actually exist by the time these kids enter into their careers,鈥� Moehlmann said. Still, no matter what the future looks like, understanding how to work with others will remain essential.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e doing gives them not just the hard skills but the soft skills, too 鈥� like collaboration and communication,鈥� she said. 91探花 kids the chance to maximize communication is particularly important right now, according to Coxon. During the pandemic, many were isolated for as long as two years, losing out on opportunities to interact with others. STEM Studio classes are designed to meet each child where they are, taking into account differences in social skills, prior knowledge, learning styles and brain wiring. All in all, the lab provides high value at no cost to the University. Class fees and money collected from events such as birthday parties are used to pay teachers and meet other expenses.
SUCCEEDING 鈥淓XCEPTIONALLY鈥�
STEM Studio instructor Tarren Fritz enjoyed a decadeslong career as an elementary school teacher. Fritz likes to teach STEM skills in combination with storytelling. When introducing younger kids to drones, she shows the children how to program them to perform simple tasks such as going forward or backward or making a square. Then, using LEGOs, they build a setting for a dramatic storyline. 鈥淚t might be that there鈥檚 a forest fire and we need to rescue some horses,鈥� Fritz said. 鈥淎nd then we鈥檒l talk about the parameters of the fire and the limitations and constraints of the drone.鈥�
Another of Fritz鈥檚 lessons marries classical art with math and engineering. Kids work to recreate a Picasso or Monet using LEGOs to form the shapes, colors and textures of the painting. Fritz loves the open-ended curriculum- planning that鈥檚 possible only in a non-school setting. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not beholden to standards and we don鈥檛 have to meet any certain criteria,鈥� Fritz said. 鈥淲e based the classes on interest and ideas from the public.鈥�
Teacher Matt Sinclair, 鈥�23, enjoys seeing his students work the steps to meet a challenge such as creating a new video game level using Mario Maker design tools. 鈥淭heir eyes light up and they might say, 鈥極h, I can really see myself getting into this and doing this when I鈥檓 older,鈥欌�� Sinclair said. Sinclair enjoys encouraging kids to use their imagination as well as their intellect. In his Dungeons and Dragons class, students learn how to design effective dungeons and create memorable characters such as believable good guys and proper villains.
As a bonus, Sinclair likes helping kids take an interest in something that can assist them in making and keeping friends. 鈥淕aming is a great way to socialize,鈥� Sinclair said. 鈥淟ike, maybe I don鈥檛 have a great excuse to hang out with my new coworker, but I know he plays Call of Duty and that鈥檚 something we can talk about.鈥� Sinclair applauds the University for expanding its popular summer program into a year-round endeavor. 鈥淚 feel like that鈥檚 a huge thing with 91探花,鈥� Sinclair said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like, 鈥楬ey, we succeeded 鈥� now how can we succeed exceptionally?鈥欌��
As Coxon and Moehlmann look to the future, they envision a permanent, stand- alone space for the STEM Studio. They hope to set up a fund for scholarships. Moehlmann hopes to serve kids coming in for school field trips and Scouting excursions while also expanding their slate of regular classes. 鈥淛ust as we ask kids to tinker and develop their ideas in our classes, that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e doing with our programming,鈥� Moehlmann said.
NOTE: This article originally appeared in the Fall/Winter 2023 issue of 91探花 Magazine.