STEAMing Ahead at The Village School

The second annual Texas STEAM Summit was hosted by The Village School and Nord Anglia Education (NAE) in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Jan. 12-13, 2018.

This event, geared for STEAM professionals and open to students, parents and school educators, worked in promoting the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics in K-12 education. Through the examination of this year’s theme, “What’s Your Reality?” visitors were given the chance to experience virtual realities, observe debates on the ethicalities of technology, understand the science behind artificial intelligence, explore futuristic visions for the city of Houston and perceive the overall applications of technology in the future. Students and educators, as well as industry professionals, had the opportunity to display and showcase their work for those who attended.

Village School early childhood teachers Pamela Handy and Marcy Marks were among the presenters. Marks, who has been teaching 3-year-olds for over 30 years, explains how the purpose of their presentation, “How STEAM Relates to Younger Kids” was to introduce to the audience how STEAM is taught to their 3-year-olds, as well as that no one can ever be too young to learn.

Handy goes on to explain, they had a great time presenting and would do it again if the opportunity presented itself.

“We received [a] positive response from our audience…I’m not used to speaking in an adult setting…but I am proud of myself and Mrs. Marks for stepping up and doing this,” Handy said.

Handy and Marks are an example of how the STEAM Summit gave opportunities for students and teachers to share and display their work, as well as allow them to try to step outside of their comfort zone.

Industry professionals were also present, including TXRX, Houston Methodist Hospital and Fuel Tech. Professionals from schools, such as MIT, University of Houston and Northbridge International School – Cambodia, also presented information.  

Sophomore Sofia Rivera, a volunteer during the summit, had a chance to visit two of the presentations and she was taken back about the information that she learned, specifically the Future City of Houston High School Model, 2017-2018 NAE-MIT Challenge, presentation.

“It showed aspects of Houston that we probably didn’t think of, like...[how to] make [Houston] greener and cleaner.”