On April 6th, over 800 students, parents, STEAM professionals and community members packed the Los Alamitos High School gym at the 5th annual Los Alamitos Unified district-wide STEAM Showcase, which was provided by LAEF (Los Alamitos Education Foundation). Students of all ages created amazing projects that incorporated science, technology, engineering, the arts and math (STEAM). There is a nation-wide movement to bring more of these subjects to our schools and to inspire children to pursue careers in these fields.
“The participation and enthusiasm of this year’s STEAM showcase was the biggest yet. Students of all ages not only presented their projects but were inspired by other Los Al students and our keynote speaker, Hannah McCallum,” said LAEF Executive Director, Carrie Logue.
The STEAM Showcase took place from 10 a.m. to 12 noon in and around the Los Alamitos High School Gym. Student projects included 3D printing, robotics, psychology, computer programming, biology, chemistry, food science, video production, product design and much more.
Hannah McCallum, propulsion engineer for Virgin Orbit, provided a keynote presentation, to a standing room only crowd, that was both informative and inspiring for all STEAM Showcase participants, families and community members. Students and spectators also visited STEAM Professionals’ booths and interactive stations presented by Virgin Orbit, Boeing, the Algalita organization and Haas Machines.
The LAEF STEAM initiative is funded by generous donations to the 2108-19 King and Queen of Hearts campaign. The campaign ended on February 8th at the coronation gala and raised over $215,000. The Los Alamitos Education Foundation (LAEF) works with all nine school sites to provide STEAM fairs and the STEAM Showcase.
LAEF is the non-profit partner of Los Alamitos Unified School District. LAEF enhances educational excellence by providing after-school and summer enrichment programs to children in grades Pre-K to 12. LAEF impacts all students by providing significant funding for STEAM teachers and instruction, as well as igniting new programs and providing valuable resources. For more information, visit www.LAEF4Kids.org/steam or call (562) 799-4700 x80424 today!
