Robots and egg drops and plants, oh my! This evening, students of Lake Hills STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Magnet School in Michigan City and their families came together at Lake Hills to celebrate the kickoff of World Creativity and Innovation Week. Brought to them by the Center for Creative Solutions, Lake Hills is but one of the many stops for the Young Hoosier Innovators Celebration this entire week throughout La Porte County.
The Center for Creative Solutions has been bringing World Creativity and Innovation Week to our region for 7 years now. John Davies, Managing Director of the Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana, couldn't have been more excited for all of the kids participating this week.
Click here to see all the photos from the Young Hoosier Innovators Celebration!
"These kids will be the point of the sphere in the future," Davies enthused, "Science, technology, engineering and math concepts are becoming known to them now, and in my generation we just didn't have that type of exposure."
Just as excited as Davies were the staff and students, kindergarten through sixth grade, from Lake Hills who got to kick off such an exciting week! For the students though, this type of presentation was nothing new and out of the ordinary, seeing as they present a new grandeur presentation to their teachers and parents at the end of every grading period. Young Hoosier Innovators Week actually serves as their third quarter presentations, just with a little more attention from the community!
Sixth grader Carlos Segura and friends, who designed an elaborate study on plant growth behaviors, gushed about their opportunities within the STEM school. "We get to work with others, build amazing things, and always learn something different about science somehow. It's never boring!"
Second grade teacher Mrs.Rogers added, "It's amazing seeing the light bulb really click in these kids' heads! They start with these little ideas and are able to build them up on their own, and suddenly it's this amazing project! It's a complete higher level of thinking coming out."
None of this kickoff at Lake Hills would be possible without the hard work of Shelley Deutscher, the STEM coordinator. She has been a part of the STEM program the entire four years it has existed, and shows a vivid enthusiasm for both her students and STEM in general.
"These kids are awesome," Deutscher boasted, "They're active, they love coming to school, and they are always being challenged to use those STEM skills in every part of their education."
Anyone interested in witnessing the amazing innovative abilities of our youth is welcome to attend any of the five remaining events this week throughout La Porte County!
World Creativity and Innovation Week is brought to you by the Center for Creative Solutions in partnership with Ivy Tech Northwest College, Gerald I. Lamkin Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana, Greater La Porte Area Ministerial Association, Lake Hills (STEM) Magnet School, La Porte County Public Library, Michigan City Library, and the La Porte County Convention and Visitors Bureau