Bordewich-Bray hosts STEM night

Bordewich-Bray Elementary School held its fourth STEM night Thursday to get parents and students more involved in math and science in the schools.

Families had the opportunity to try a variety of fun and educational activities that all promoted math and science.

“The idea is to get the family involved and excited with the students about math and science at school,” said Bordewich-Bray teacher Kayli Sprague.

Nearly two hundred parents and students participated in the event. Teachers and representatives from Sierra Nevada Journeys had individual topics in each classroom with a group activity in the multipurpose room. The families completed a Lunar Launch program where they had to construct a vessel that housed an egg “astronaut” and had to drop it from different heights to create a vessel stable enough to keep the egg from breaking.

“Anytime we can get parents to school and give them a positive experience is a good thing and I like getting to model the curriculum for them,” Sprague said. “A lot of parents are daunted by Common Core math so to take different strategies and think outside of the box is also good.”

Sprague said they have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from parents on the STEM nights.

“I like all the hands-on activities that keep the kids really engaged,” said Amy Crittenden with her two daughters Sophia, 11 and Cynthia, 13.

The STEM nights have only been happening the last two years, twice a year, after the school district decided to place more emphasis on math and science.