Learning took on a whole new form for our fifth-grade students during a special week with the STARBASE Program at St. Joseph’s Indian School. STARBASE — short for Science and Technology, Academics, Reinforcing, Basic Aviation and Space Exploration — certainly has a long name, which is why the acronym is so helpful! Through hands-on STEM activities focused on science, technology, engineering and math, Lakota (Sioux) students spent the week discovering just how fun learning can be.
STARBASE instructor Lori, who goes by the nickname “Positive Energy” when teaching the activities, explained the lasting impact programs like STARBASE can have on students as they grow older.
“We have been coming to St. Joseph’s for about 20 years,” she said. “Our program teaches a piece of STEM — science, math, engineering and technology — which is so vital for their careers as they grow up and go out in this big world.”
From coding robots to building Rube Goldberg machines, every day brought a new adventure. But one activity quickly became the favorite among many students — launching water rockets!
Students carefully designed and built their rockets using plastic bottles and cardboard before heading out to the football field for launch day. It was a beautiful spring morning with blue skies overhead, sunshine warming the campus and not a whisper of wind. Excitement was impossible to contain as students filled their rockets with water and pumped pressure into them, eagerly preparing for liftoff.
Vita, a fifth grader, excitedly shared, “I made a rocket that is going to fill up with air and blast off into the sky!”
Then came the countdown.
“3 … 2 … 1 … Blastoff!”
Pop!
The rockets soared high into the sky as screams, laughter and cheers radiated across the football field. Students watched in amazement as their creations launched farther and higher than they ever imagined.
STARBASE instructor Lori was especially impressed with the students’ work. One rocket flew so high that she said it may have been the highest she had ever seen during her years with the program.
Cyrus, one of the fifth graders, proudly declared, “My rocket broke the record!”
He admitted he was not entirely sure what made his rocket fly so high, but he said he might just be destined to build rockets someday.
Another student, Micah, shared what she enjoyed most about the program.
“I like STARBASE because we get to do activities!” she said.
St. Joseph’s is incredibly grateful for the STARBASE Program and the instructors who bring these exciting learning opportunities to our Native American students each year. The hands-on projects paired with creativity make STEM education fun, and our students absolutely love it.
Who knows? Maybe one of our fifth graders will, in fact, become a scientist, engineer or even a rocket designer someday thanks to these experiences!
Witness more fun, exciting adventures by following us on Facebook facebook.com/saintjosephs.
