Anything is possible in the STEEL Lab at Harmony Hills Elementary School. Students can climb a mountain, track the weather, or explore outer space without leaving the facility. STEEL stands for Space, Technology, Earth, Exploration Lab. You’ll find a station here representing each aspect of the name – from virtual reality stations to a planetarium or gardening and weather stations.
Science Instructional Coach Jessica Buchanan designed every piece of the facility to provide hands-on learning opportunities. It was made possible through a North East Educational Foundation (NEEF) Grant of $32,624.36. To research some of the items to purchase and then construct them when they arrive, she recruited 4th and 5th graders to help her. When the kids come to Jessica’s classroom, she says, “They learn it so well that they can teach it, and they are the presenters when we have visitors come.” This helps them build knowledge and confidence while giving them new skills to help them be successful in and outside of the classroom.
“If you are a visual learner, you can learn so much better here,” said one student.
The program has had an impact on students’ grades. Over the past years, in their national MAP assessment, Harmony Hills students were in the low growth, low achievement quadrant for math and science. Jessica is proud to say that all groups in every grade level are in the high growth, high achievement section! “It’s made a big impact on our students here.”
