McNeal Elementary Science Fair Showcases STEM Success

LAKEWOOD RANCH – As critical as I tend to be on education in the U.S., I admit to being very impressed with McNeal Elementary, where I have children in first and third grade. The curriculum is balanced and challenging and we have been blessed with some of the best teachers I’ve had the pleasure to meet. It was no surprise that the annual science fair Thursday night was a huge success.

Manatee County’s new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) curriculum seemed to be having its desired effect. Students presented ambitious projects that gravitated toward real world problems that the youngest kids I encounter seem much more engaged with than those of just half a generation before – the environment, energy challenges, etc.

The winning project dealt with the effect of air quality on plant development and was so detailed in its inquiry that I would have been impressed to see it at a senior high school fair. Science and engineering are going to be a critical skill set for children of this generation if they are going to be competitive in the global economy 15-20 years from now.

I have also been volunteering at Mrs. McGrew’s ”Engineering by Design“ after-school enrichment program this semester, where first and second graders are eagerly learning basic engineering principles through fun projects and activities. The EBD program extends through 12th grade and is a major success for the district. McGrew is a hyper-intelligent and patient instructor, the kind that you realize as a taxpayer to be a sound investment with an enormous return. Her class is consistently reported as a favorite by students of all ages.

Today’s economic uncertainties make it difficult to draw optimism when imagining what our young students will face in a decade or two. As trade barriers continue to fall and developing nations continue to produce more competitive labor markets, young children today will face a brutally competitive job market, unlike any their parents or grandparents have ever experienced. It was very nice to leave the science fair feeling better about that fact, then when I had arrived.