KEARNEY — Emerson Elementary is excited to announce its upcoming STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Day, held in collaboration with the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) on Oct. 16 and 17, 2024.
This two-day event will engage students from all grade levels in a hands-on exploration of coding.
STEM Day is designed to spark students’ curiosity and interest in science and technology through interactive activities. NPPD representatives will be on hand to guide students through activities, providing expertise and insight into how STEM concepts apply in real-world industries.
In partnership with Emerson Elementary and NPPD, this two-day STEM event will expose students, K – 5th grade, to the fundamentals of computational thinking and computer science principles in a fun and exciting way via Sphero’s car-shaped indi-learning robots. Teaching with indi encourages open-ended, imaginative play-based learning with real-life scenarios as learners build custom mazes and solve puzzles.
These employable skills, when nurtured over time, can lead to high quality and satisfying careers.
“We are thrilled to partner with NPPD to offer our students this unique opportunity to dive into STEM,” said Meredith Johnson, principal of Emerson Elementary. “It’s important for our students to experience hands-on learning that encourages critical thinking and creativity. We hope this event will inspire a lifelong love of learning in these key areas.”
Jonathan Schulte, NPPD Energy Education Lead, stated, “As a cornerstone of our Energy Education program, NPPD believes (S)cience, (T)echnology, (E)ngineering and (M)ath principles need to be cultivated at an early age and continuously reinforced throughout a student’s formal education.
As jobs become more reliant on robotics, technology and automation, a highly trained workforce in the skilled and technical science (STS) disciplines will be needed to support Nebraska’s economic growth. Our Energy Educators promote catalytic experiences for the youth of Nebraska to empower them for success and raise awareness for STEM-related careers rooted in problem solving and analytical thinking.”
