Page 10 - Flathead Beacon // 10.7.15

NEWS
Teaching the Roots of STEM
Middle and high school science programs on display for Manufacturing Day
BY MOLLY PRIDDY OF THE BEACON
As children grow and learn, the skills and curiosities they develop early on tend to stay with them, coloring their future choices.
Kalispell’s schools are taking this sentiment to the science classrooms at the middle and high school levels, with a new science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) program connecting the students’ learning from sixth grade to graduation with a consistency.
The schools had their relatively new programs on display last week in coor- dination with the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce’s focus on manufacturing businesses, as parents and local busi- ness leaders toured the middle and high school STEM classes.
Kalispell School District 5 Super- intendent Mark Flatau introduced the school’s STEM curriculum, Project Lead the Way, as a meaningful and relevant way to teach science.
“We realized that as kids become more proficient in their skills and knowl- edge, we need to drive these courses to a younger group,” Flatau told the tour group. “What is introduced at the middle school is built on in high school.”
At Kalispell Middle School, seventh
and eighth graders can sign up for STEM electives involving hands-on projects, with classes such as automation and robots; design and modeling; introduc- tion to computer science; and medical detectives.
All of the classes are part of Project Lead the Way, and flow into the Flathead High School Biomedical Academy and Glacier High School’s Engineering Acad- emy. And now both high schools are also focusing on computer science classes as well.
At the middle school, computer sci- ence is already rolling. The introductory class is the same as the high school ver- sion to give the students a head start, and it has been full for both of the years it has been available.
Students learn how to build apps, and doing so, they learn the introductory ele- ments of text-based programming. Cod- ing classes start in eighth grade.
The medical detectives class teaches the students through labs, and the stu- dents eventually test DNA and use crime scene analysis to solve medical mysteries.
In the automation and robots class, the students learn the basics of engi- neering, eventually working their way up to building machines that respond to commands from computer programs the
students also write.
Seventh-grader Mackenzie Baker said
she started the course because she wants to be an engineer like her father.
“I figured this would be a step to take,” she said about the automation and design and modeling classes.
Teacher Rich Evans said the STEM classes are still predominantly male, but female students are beginning to catch on.
“The girls definitely excel at it,” Evans said.
Middle school principal Tryg Johnson
Eighth-graders
Christopher
Skelton, left,
and Jonah Love
work on a gear
train during
robotics class
at Kalispell
Middle School.
GREG LINDSTROM FLATHEAD BEACON
said the school is also working to connect the STEM classes with other integral courses, like art and reading, making the acronym grow to STREAM.
Focusing on these areas allows stu- dents to have an idea about which direc- tion they may want to take in the job force, but also gives them a realistic view of the difficulty in these high-paying jobs.
“We’re trying to create that enthusi- asm with the understanding that they are hard positions,” Johnson said.
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Details Emerge As Investigation Into Fatal Fire Continues Victim of fire identified as 8-year-old Autumn Hawk
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
The investigation continues into what started a motorhome fire west of Kalispell that killed an 8-year-old girl on Oct. 1.
On Oct. 2, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as
Autumn Hawk.
According to authorities, Flathead
County Dispatch received a report of a “fire and explosions” at 425 Daley Lane, near Foys Lake, at 9:52 a.m. When fire- fighters arrived they found the motor home fully engulfed in flames. The fire also damaged a nearby garage. Both of
Hawk’s parents were able to escape the flames and taken to Kalispell Regional Medical Center where they were released later in the day.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Firefighters and emergency per- sonnel from Kalispell, South Kalispell,
Smith Valley, West Valley, Evergreen and the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office all responded to the blaze.
A Go Fund Me account has been set up to help the family cover the costs of the funeral. For more information visit www.gofundme.com/fc5fxsf9
[email protected]
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OCTOBER 7, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM