Minuteman High School will host Girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) camp in February 2017, school officials announced. It is free for seventh- and eighth-grade girls from communities in the Minuteman school district, which includes Acton, Arlington, Belmont, Bolton, Boxborough, Carlisle, Concord, Dover, Lancaster, Lexington, Lincoln, Needham, Stow, Sudbury, Wayland, and Weston.
The STEM camp will be held at the school, located at 758 Marrett Road in Lexington, from February 21-24, 2017 (Tuesday through Friday during February vacation) from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. each day. There is a $149 fee for students who live outside the Minuteman school district.
Participants can extend their learning through hands-on STEM activities led by female students from Minuteman who are certified in mentoring and are enrolled in STEM majors. The facilitators are Minuteman teachers Becky Quay (Engineering) and Sarah Ard (Horticulture and Landscape Technology).
Launched in two years ago, Girls in STEM at Minuteman has earned both state and national awards for excellence in student-to- student mentoring including recognition from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) and a Grand Prize in two consecutive years from SkillsUSA, a national organization that holds trade and leadership competitions for students in career and technical schools.
The push to get more girls interested in STEM professions and education has come about due to the under-representation of females in those areas. “What we’re doing is answering a need out there,” said Minuteman Director of Career and Technical Education Michelle Roche. She has been instrumental in the implementation of the Girls in STEM initiative at Minuteman, along with Ms. Quay and Ms. Ard.
The overall intent, added Ms. Roche, is “just to create a positive environment for girls to use their voice and feel safe and comfortable in that environment. With all females, the competition goes away, and it’s just about the work at hand. Empowering them, that’s what this is all about.” She defined the mission of Girls in STEM at Minuteman succinctly: “We need to do everything we can to support girls and lift them up. They’re learning what it takes to be successful.”
Please go to the home page under Quick Links at www.minuteman.org to register online for Girls in STEM. For more information, contact Ms. Roche at 781-861- 6500 x7326 or mroche@minuteman.org. Seats are limited, so register early.
Bus transportation will be provided for students in the Minuteman High School district. Students outside the district will need to provide their own transportation to and from Minuteman.
Minuteman was established in the 1970s as one of more than two dozen regional-vocational technical high schools in Massachusetts. Over the years, the school has distinguished itself by building a reputation for excellence. Minuteman students consistently excel on the larger stage and have won numerous awards at state and national competitions. Minuteman challenges all students to revolutionize their high school expectations by aspiring to their full potential, accelerating their learning, and achieving success in the 21st-century global community.