By Rhys Baker
Garfield Students will learn more about STEM, or Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, in a different kind of classroom this fall. Fifth-grade teacher Nicole Schurle experienced STARBASE in another school district and then brought the program to the attention of the Garfield fifth-grade teaching team. The program is sponsored by the Department of Defense and aims to expose youth to technology through hands-on instruction and activities. Organizer Nicole Schurle says she loves the program because of the experiences and exposure students receive. “They get to use technology that we just don’t have available, which would be too expensive for the district to buy. They get to use a CAD, which is computer assisted design, where they’ll design like a space vehicle. They show the kids how they use CAD and they can design things and then print it on their 3D printer, and every child then gets a cool little 3D printed thing that says STARBASE.”
Over the five sessions, usually one time a week for five weeks, students don’t just learn in the classroom; they also get to see STEM at work. Schurle points out, “The kids get to go to Fort Riley and see what some of the people in the military do and how STEM is related to their job. One year, we got to see drones that are like small aircraft. I was amazed at how large these things were. They were playing a game with students to see how many swimming pools they could find in the footage, so this was somewhere in the western United States they were showing them.”
Although the program is free to all students, Schurle has to fundraise for students to experience STARBASE in the Manhattan location. To be equitable, USD 379 Board policy states one field trip per year, per class. Therefore, transportation funding has to be raised for the remaining four trips to STARBASE. Schurle says this year, the goal is $1500 for gas, drivers, and general wear and tear on the buses. If fundraising exceeds that amount, funds will remain in the account for transportation to STARBASE next year.
