On Thursday, Feb. 29, ANHS held its first ever family feeder STEAM Night of the school year. The event is organized by the CUSD STEAM Advisory Board and follows the style of a typical open house event.
It took place from 5 to 7 p.m. in the STEM building on Aliso’s campus. The night was intended to showcase STEAM opportunities at Aliso Niguel and through the feeder pathway. The activities presented were interactive and student-centered with demonstrations and teachers present too.
The target audience for the event is elementary, middle and high school students and their families. The advisory board’s community partners also attend this event to offer information and details on opportunities for students and families.
Some of the organizations and programs present at the event include Inside the Outdoors, the Moulton Niguel Water District, College and Career Advantage (CCA), specific classes at Aliso Niguel, such as culinary arts, as well as middle school programs. Representatives advertised each of their programs and encouraged future students to participate in hopes of finding a passion in the extracurricular and educational opportunities.
Many different educational subjects were present from arts to sciences, making clear the informational pathways in which young students can start learning the subjects and careers they are most interested in. The programs range from being run at the county level down to only at individual schools.
The STEAM Advisory Board that presented the event was from the district and it handles the arts, science, technology, engineering, and math programs in schools throughout the district.
CCA, one of the most prevalent programs in helping students participate in these extracurricular interests offers in-school and afterschool classes following varying interests along the CTE pathways. This includes classes such as Biotechnology, Forensics, Business and even Fashion Design.
The demonstrations at the event allowed students to explore interests from many different ages and backgrounds. For older students soon to enter high school, CCA was present to discuss courses as well as the school’s science programs. There were also interactive activities for kids of any age, with animation examples to look at or floor building activities for elementary school students.
Those present for Inside the Outdoors, for example, brought live animals for students to touch and learn about, potentially leading students to discover new passions. There were turtles, snakes, and lots of other promotional information.
One of the Inside the Outdoors representatives shares, “I think it’s good for high schoolers to start being role models for some of the elementary schools and get them excited about going to high school and being involved in different STEM activities. It also gives the chance to create community.”
Many of the representatives were primarily there to share information to parents while the activities and demonstrations catered to the students.
Aliso Niguel’s culinary programs also had students and their teacher, Mrs. Boyle, present to share the program to more people, also baking various treats available for those who attended the event.
Mrs. Boyle comments on STEM Night, “It’s a good opportunity for elementary schoolers to see if they have a passion that excites them and that they can explore further being at this event.”
