On Wednesday, February 19th, West Branch hosted its second annual STEAM night. This special event was organized by high school teacher and technology coach, Carrie Peterson. Both auxiliary gyms were in use, filled with various organizations, colleges, and clubs that helped make this evening a success. There were 57 tables with 110 presenters present. These included Penn State Applied Research Lab, Commonwealth University Lock Haven Campus, Quandel Energy Solutions, and many more.
STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. It gave students in PreK-12th grade the opportunity to explore and participate in hands-on activities. Some of these activities included making slime, making bracelets that react to sunlight, making 3D designs with a 3Doodler, and even how to screen print. Within this experience, individuals were able to help themselves to free food in the cafeteria. As students were leaving, they were able to choose a STEAM-related book of their choice to encourage continued exploration in the STEAM fields.
During the evening, students were given a chance to win STEAM-related prizes. Some of these prizes involved Coding Critters, a Hashmag Polydron, Snap Circuits 203, and many more. Giving students anticipation that they may win something helped keep them engaged throughout the night. Kyla Kephart was a helper and a participant in STEAM night, and although she did not win a prize, she still engaged and learned many different things. She said, “While walking around, I encountered many different kinds of stations. Every station constantly had kids surrounding them. Mrs. Peterson put a lot of effort into this successful event.”
Evan Emigh is a junior and a CSO (Chief Science Officer) at West Branch. His table’s activity consisted of using different resources to try and support a plush on a tower. He expressed his thoughts on the evening by saying, “The evening was very lively. Both gyms had a lot of people and it was a very fun event where I got to see a lot of new faces.”
With STEAM night’s huge success, plans are in the making for West Branch’s 3rd annual STEAM night in 2026!
