A student gets her face painted during a Rivermont carnival last year.Rivermont Elementary is going full STEAM ahead with its updated curriculum for next year, and the school wants the community to know. That's why it's hosting a STEAM-themed carnival March 11 at the school with games, food and an opening of its STEAM Lab to the public.
STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and math, and will be the primary focus for Rivermont Elementary in the 2017-2018 school year under a new curriculum from Principal Nikki Bailey.
The school's enrollment plummeted from around 400 to 250 following rezoning in the last few years. Bailey said she is hopeful the STEAM Lab could bring more kids back to Rivermont.
"In this neighborhood, a lot of kids are going to private schools over public," she said. "We have to offer something different that other schools weren't offering."
Funds raised from ticket sales and the planned silent auction will go directly toward purchasing tools and equipment for the lab. Bailey said there's an expansive wishlist of equipment including furniture, computer microscopes and 3-D printers. While she said the school doesn't expect to get everything on the list, it wants to raise as much as possible to give the students as many creative opportunities as it can.
Bailey was hired at Rivermont two weeks before the start of the fall semester following the suspension of former principal. With her new position came the desire to revitalize the school. She said her fellow Rivermont faculty played a major role in conceptualizing the STEAM program and future plans for the school.
This year, every teacher has a mandatory one-hour STEAM block per day to introduce both them and the students to learning differently. This could mean using Lego or other building kits to create things, doing science experiments or creating art based on what they've been reading.
Bailey said she wants the school to focus on integrated learning units, a term that simply means the curriculum will combine the students' various subjects into one learning session rather than blocking them apart. Math will be learned with science, which will be studied with reading, and so on.
"We've taken core standards from the state and found ways to connect them rather than teach them in isolation," said Bailey. "It helps the kids to make those connections."
This semester is enabling the teachers to ease into the new curriculum. Bailey said her staff has done marvelously, and the entire school is excited at what the future will bring.
In the short term, though, they're simply looking forward to an afternoon of fun and games. Wristbands for entry will be $4 for one, $7 for two and $10 for three before the fair, and $5 apiece the day of. Concessions will be provided by the Rotary Club. Activities will include inflatables, corn hole, obstacle courses and, of course, opportunities in the STEAM Lab.
For more information, contact Rivermont Elementary at 870-0610.