WACO Elementary School to get STEAM Lab

CRAWFORDSVILLE - WACO Elementary School was awarded a $31,025 grant from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation to update their library into a science, technology, engineering, arts and math lab.

The school is planning on bringing new life to the library by giving it a makeover with the grant money and creating a new, hands-on learning space with new technology including microscopes, Chromebooks, iPads and robots.

'We're preparing our students for jobs that don't even exist yet,” WACO Elementary School Principal Emily Settles said. 'I think it's important we equip them with every possible skill they will need in the future for those jobs.”

The grant was applied for WACO Elementary School teachers Angela Ayrit and Amy Langr. Ayrit said the elementary school teachers saw the amazing things WACO High School was doing after being awarded the grant last year and creating their own science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) lab. WACO Elementary School wanted the same for their students.

'I really believe future careers are going to be all about creation. That's the future we need to prepare students for,” Ayrit said. 'A lot of jobs are going to be replaced by robots. We talk about that in education a lot when educators get together.

'How are we going to make our lessons and curriculum relevant for what students will encounter when they graduate?” Ayrit continued. 'If kids are problem solvers who can create, they're going to do well.”

When applying for the grant, Ayrit said she and Langr just laid out their 'dream vision.”

'If we had the money, what would we want to buy for the space? What would we want to create?” Ayrit said.

The library was the most appropriate space for the project - large and underutilized, Ayrit said. It hasn't been updated since 1999.

With the grant money, the school is purchasing new furniture for the library including tables with whiteboards students can write on and flexible seating options from balance balls to floor pillows.

'Libraries are wonderful spaces. I think that will never change, but I do think we need to bring them up to speed be more 21st Century friendly,” Settles said. 'To have a STEAM Lab in our library would give kids more hands-on opportunities that all kids have access to.”

Teaching students how to code using programmable robots is a big learning component in STEAM Labs across the country, Langr said. The grant will purchase Sphero robots that can be controlled from a tablet to teach students how to code.

Langr imagines students creating mazes and other puzzles for other students to solve and guide the robot through.

'I love the excitement of figuring it out, stumping your peers,” Langr said.

For the younger grades, they are purchasing more 'easy to use” robots - little programmable 'mice” that have arrows to move it left, right and forward, Langr said.

'Studies show if you're learning a new language, the best time to do that is at a younger age,” Langr said. 'Coding is just another language students' are learning at this point. I have a first-grader who does a lot of coding and she can do what some of my fourth, fifth and sixth-graders struggle with.”

The robots and other learning material for the STEAM Lab will be purchased in January and February 2019.

The layout of the library and updated furniture will be done during summer 2019 to avoid limiting students access to the library over the school year, Langr said.

'We're super thankful to the Riverboat Foundation for providing us this opportunity to give students a STEAM Lab at WACO,” Langr said. 'Students are so excited. I have so many kids who have asked me about it.”

'I'm so proud of Amy and Angela and the entire WACO staff for continuing to be front-runners and want to do what's best for students,” Settles said.