STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)
Valley Christian Elementary School teacher Pam Leetsma was specially selected to participate in a VIP tour of NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, with Actress Nichelle Nichols, who portrayed Lt. Uhura in the original Star Trek TV series. Pam’s teaching and interest in space sciences underscores Valley Christian’s commitment to providing an outstanding STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) curriculum across all our campuses.
Ms. Nichols is active promoting opportunities for women and minorities in the areas of STEM. She has warped to many worlds as Lt. Uhura in the Star Trek television show of the 1960s. However, her real-life adventures have taken her to where no one has gone before in advocacy for NASA and helping to inspire – and encourage – women and minorities to apply to become astronaut candidates. We at Valley Christian share this passion to inspire all our students for such opportunities.
Ms. Leestma’s ongoing interest in NASA space sciences has created for her, and for Valley Christian, a network of resources for education in Science and Technology. Additionally, due to her recognized knowledge and expertise, Pam was recently asked to serve on the Board of Directors for the Columbia Memorial Space Center in nearby Downy, CA. The vision for the Space Center is to “…perform charitable, scientific and educational…” collaborative work with such institutions as Valley Christian.
These kind of relationships are helping Valley Christian Schools establish a comprehensive STEM curricula that will help our students be prepared for the rapid pace of technological changes they will face. If you personally, or the business you are in, is interested in sponsoring, supporting or collaborating in this area, please give me a call to discuss the opportunities!
In His Grip,
Rich Suttie
Superintendent
More STEM News:
Robotics Team - Valley Christian Middle School sponsors a robotics team for students ages 9 to 14. During this extra-curricular activity, students discover the fun in science and technology through a creative, hands-on learning experience. Each year, teams are formed in May to participate in a 6-8 week build project the following fall. The season includes one or more high-energy tournaments where students pit their robot creations against other Southern California teams. Read more.
AP & Honors Classes in STEM - Valley Christian High School offers a wide variety of Honors and Advanced Placement courses. These courses are open to students with high motivation and/or proven ability who wish to study a subject in greater depth. Several are offered in science and math fields. Honors classes include: Advanced Mathematics, Integrated Science, Chemistry, and Algebra 2; and AP classes: Calculus AB, Biology, Statistics and Physics C. For further details including course descriptions and requirements, please see the VCHS Course Catalog.
Science Olympiad - Each year, Valley Christian High School students participate in this team competition among various schools in 23 different science events. Last year, sixteen students competed in the Science Olympiad at Occidental College against 36 schools. Our teams placed 1st, 2nd, and 7th against strong competition. Congratulations to Ian Applequist, Larissa Arakaki, Scott Buchholtz, Amy Cho, David Collier, Millie Faber, Charis Garin, Kenton Hostetler, Samantha Hundertmark, Tim Lau, John McTigue, David Minishian, Binh Pham, Khai Pham, Yoran Sato, and Jessica Zavaleta. This years tournament will be held on Saturday, Feb 25, 2012 at Occidental College.
Math Olympics - Sixteen Valley Christian Elementary students competed in the 2011 ACSI Math Olympics. 12 placed, and 5 were first place with honors! Since students began using the computerized instructional JiJi math program, VCES has experienced higher achievement in this competition, and higher math scores throughout the elementary school. Join us in congratulating the 2011 Math Olympians: Justine Bassett, Megan Bouma, Kathryn Tamminga, Ricky Rietveld, Jonathan Pheifer, Yeong-u Kim, Stephen Fujimoto, Hayden Ericks, Elijah Huang, Katelyn Chang, Julianna Bassett, Payton Kooi, Kaylee Westra, David Moon, Nathaniel Tamminga, Tyler Bouma.
