New after-school club launches at Borah

COEUR d’ALENE — How many elementary school kids does it take to build a roller coaster?

Suprisingly, just a few.

It's getting the roller coaster to properly turn and loop the loop that's the tricky part.

"We get to make turns with it and we’re going to have to do loops. It’s a lot of fun but it takes a lot of time to get those," said a grinning Bailey Barber-Thomas, a fourth-grader at Borah Elementary. "But it's also fun when you mess up."

A dozen third- and fourth-grade engineers have been brainstorming how to use halved pool noodles, tape and steel balls to create miniature roller coasters during the new Borah STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Club, a Monday after-school session for kids to explore all kinds of STEM activities.

“I’ve been doing science since I was like 3,” Bailey said. "It’s just stuff that I’m interested in."

Bailey wants to use this gravity and problem-solving education in her career when she grows up.

“I want to be a planetary geologist,” she said. "It’s someone who goes to space and they collect rocks and explore what’s there.”

High school mentors volunteer during the 1-hour club meetings to engage the younger students in thoughtful discussion as they complete their projects.

"I did this personally because (STEM) hasn’t always been my strong suit," said Coeur d'Alene High School junior Lexie Hildreth. "I feel like if I would have had an earlier start when I was younger, I might have developed a love for math and all the things that are a part of STEM club. I wanted to be a part of that for these kids here so they could enjoy that."

She said she has been "super impressed" with the elementary kids, who work quickly and collaboratively to achieve their project goals.

"It’s cool to see them cooperate, and the whole trial and error thing, how they see the problem and they work together to solve it," she said. "They’re so smart for their age."

The Borah STEM Club is halfway through its pilot run. Club organizers are planning an inital six-week block to see what works and what can be duplicated.

“The kids are loving it. I've gotten such great feedback from them," said Borah advanced learning program teacher Teresa Armstrong, whose classroom serves as the club base. "They're excited. They’re super engaged in the activities."

The STEM club is launching at Borah as a collaboration between Armstrong, Sorensen Magnet School fourth-grade teacher/science lead Shanna Marshall and CHS student Lilian Smith. It is funded by a private donor and Growing the STEM, a nonprofit Lilian founded in 2017 with her sister, Adeline, to share their love of math with more students in the communty. Marshall serves as education chair and Lilian is the vice president.

Organizers hope that if all goes well, this free program will expand to other schools next year. Borah's club already has about 20 kids on the waiting list.

“I wanted to start a STEM club because problem-solving is the most important function any human being can have in today’s world," Lilian said. "This is the goal of STEM Club: to create the next generation of creative thinkers and problem-solvers. In education today, it is common to just memorize content, purge it for the test and forget it the next day. STEM Club is trying to disincentivize mechanical learning and provide a route for children to express themselves in ways other than art."

Marshall said the stars aligned for this new club because she had just received an Excel Foundation grant for STEM materials for her class when the opportunity to partner with another school presented itself to build a bridge between Sorensen and Borah as downtown schools.

"I was hoping to bring some of what I've learned as the lead science teacher and as someone who’s done STEM in my own class and see how it makes kids fall in love with school," she said. "When they fall in love with school and they really want to be there, it makes all of our jobs so much easier to teach them.

"Especially kids that might come from hard places," she continued. "To provide a free STEM club with a teacher who loves them, like Teresa Armstrong, we’re so thankful."

Info: www.growingthestem.org