Students demonstrated how they are “Planning for Our Global Future” on Monday, during installation week for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Chancellor Dr. Julie Furst-Bowe. The SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School Open House and Tour showcased its nearly $1 million William Frederick Graebe Sr. STEM Learning Center for University personnel and community members.
“So much progress has been made here at the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Learning Center,” said Furst-Bowe in her greetings during the open house ceremonies. The chancellor recalled first hearing about the STEM Learning Center when she interviewed for the position more than a year ago. The STEM lab opened in February 2012.
“It means a lot to have the Charter High School participating in the Chancellor’s Installation,” Furst-Bowe said.
Welcoming the guests were Gina Washington, director of the Charter High School; and Brandon Rice, Charter High School Student Government president. The guests included University administrators and staff, and such community members as East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks and Dr. Katie Harper Wright, writer, educator and namesake of the Dr. Katie Harper Wright Elementary School in East St. Louis.
Rice informed the group about the Charter School’s robotics team, and some of its activities and successes. The robotics team placed fourth in the National Botball Tournament in California, said Rice, the team’s design captain.
“Our young people are our most valuable resource we have,” said Parks. “This lab will go a long way in helping them.”
Willis Young, assistant director of the Charter High School, briefly informed the crowd about the myriad technological feats and features of the learning center. An abbreviated list includes:
• A 70-inch multi-touch SMART interactive LCD board
• Four-panel video wall
• HD teleconferencing capabilities
• A 3D fabrication machine that allows users to design and create prototypes with moving parts
• Walls that can be written on
• Two programmable robots.
“But one of the things that makes the STEM Learning Center great is the student ownership of their instruction and learning process,” said Dr. Bette Bergeron, dean of the SIUE School of Education. “The students were instrumental in creating the lab 1 ½ years ago and now it’s exciting to see them immersed in the learning lab.”
Sharon Locke, director of the SIUE Center for STEM Research, Education, and Outreach, agrees. “Ms. (Gina) Washington, the teachers and students are doing an amazing job in making this learning center a reality. The technology is wonderful, but without the people it’s just a room.”
Following the ceremony, the audience took part in student-led tours of the Charter High School and the Charter High School Expo, which showcased information and student work from all of the school’s classes. Leading the tours were James Washington and Daje’Na Lockett, both seniors; and Taylor Luster, Starr Gibson and Angelica Howard, all juniors.
“The Charter High School is a great place to learn and to plan for an even greater future,” said freshman Gaige Crowell. Crowell, who was manning Aaron Vance’s health class table, explained the assignment of using creative objects to construct a diagram of the human skeleton. The first place award went to James Washington, who crafted a skeleton using such items as a light bulb, clothes pins, safety pins and hair clamps.
Aaliah Bevery, a junior at the Charter high school, was at the STEM table. She explained some of the math equations on the board. Beverly wants to be a pre-med major and plans to attend either SIUE or the University of Texas at Arlington.
“This STEM (Learning) Center and the Charter High School are really helping our children,” said Wright, who also serves on the Charter High School Community Advisory Council. “I’m here today because I really support the Charter High School. It’s getting our children ready for the world of work.”
The Chancellor’s Installation Week continues Tuesday. For more information about this week’s events, visit http://www.siue.edu/chancellor/installation/index.shtml.
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