STEAM room opens at 676

The PS 676 STEAM Room ribbon-cutting event took place on January 24, but this was a day that had been in the works since the beginning of the school year. STEAM refers to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math, and the elementary school in Red Hook has recently taken strides to improve its instruction in these fields, culminating in the opening of an upgraded laboratory with robotics and a 3-D printer.

Principal Priscilla Figueroa has brought many new community partnerships, improvements and classroom additions to the school since taking over about two years ago. Figueroa was hired with the intention of bringing 676, District 15’s lowest-ranked school, into the company of the more highly regarded public schools. It’s a challenging process, but grants from City Council and the borough president’s office have helped. Representatives from both spoke at the event.

Councilman Carlos Menchaca, who has represented Red Hook since the beginning of 2014, shared how much he liked seeing the kids of PS 676 use their creativity to write code and work with the STEAM Room’s robots. He also admired the fish that they care for in their new 10-tank aquarium.

“We came together to make this happen, but I want to tell you something about how things like this happen,” Menchaca said. “When you have an idea, I want you to say it aloud and tell your parents and teachers because your ideas can become real. That’s what happened today. The more you tell your ideas the more real it becomes.”

The principal, Menchaca, and Felipe Adams from the borough president’s office, along with students, posed for a picture while the ribbon was cut. Adams said it has been a pleasure to fund this project and urged all the students to enjoy what is available to them.

“The borough president truly believes that if you invest in any STEAM program, anything to build your future, it is an innovative way to go,” hes aid. “When I was your age, we did not have this in our classrooms. I say take advantage, learn as much as you can and teach your parents. Thank you to Principal Figueroa and the teachers who invest in you.

Figueroa gave onlookers – or at least those clued into the latest high-tech jargon – a sense of what the room contained. “We have a kebo box, we have cubelets, we have the Ozobot, we have two of the Nao robots. We have a SMART Document Camera, in addition to a lab disc, which allows us to collect data on what we are doing. It is centered around collecting scientific data that we can use to teach our students how to use the numbers and how to understand it. It’s to reinforce what they are learning.”

After the STEAM Room opening ceremony, eight- and nine-year-olds experimented with robots with Mr. Marcus as the instructor. He was teaching them how to program the robots to go in a straight line.

“The goal is also to learn trial and error,” Mr. Marcus explained. “Sometimes they might not get the right degrees or right amount of rotations but we tell them that it is okay because they will go back into the program, rewrite the program, so they can figure it out until they get it right.”

The school also was able to fund new Promethean boards, not just for the STEAM Room but for the library and each and every classroom. The Promethean board is an interactive whiteboard that can project an image from a laptop, and it allows one to interact with the board via a touch screen. 

Kids have already begun using the Promethean boards to connect to the website Glogster, where they’re working on a wildlife advocacy project.

“This is integrated, so it incorporates a lot of science that they have to learn, and within that they are learning how to advocate for animals and the community,” Figueroa said. “They are learning how they can advocate for sea and water animals and their habitat and connecting it to Red Hook as well as the aquarium here.”

One student, Jing, has decided to research oysters and has written about their lifespans and where they are found. She chose oysters because none of her classmates had, and because of her school’s connection to the nonprofit Billion Oyster Project, which made her want to find more information about the creatures. She’s also fond of the aquarium’s crayfish on account of their resemblance to lobsters.

Figueroa thanked Menchaca and Felipe Adams for their funding. She also thanked District 15 Superintendent Anita Skop. 

Skop told the PS. 676 kids that they are incredible and make her proud every day, calling them “future leaders.” Skop added that District 15 believes in the school.

“When I was a little girl, the only time I saw elected officials was on TV,” Skop added. “To know and work with people who care so much about our city and support our schools in a real way means so much. I can’t tell you how proud I am. When coming here, it’s a place that’s welcoming and exciting.”