Woodlawn School's Annual STEAMfest Goes Virtual This Year

The following is a press release submitted by Lee Blakely:

WSTEAMfest.org is open with over 100 fun, and free, hands-on STEAM activities for kids grade K through 12. Registered “STEAM Explorers” can complete activities, earn badges, and win prizes. There are daily live stream events with scientists, artists, live lab demonstrations, and more.

STEAMfest is a Woodlawn School tradition. Each year, in January, the campus hosts a free, day long, hands-on interactive festival for the community. There were over 400 people at the event last year. STEAMfest is not a traditional science fair where students show off their projects. Instead, STEAMfest is an engaging hands-on experience where participants are encouraged to IMAGINE, DISCOVER, and EXPLORE.

The global pandemic has forced the school to cancel the in-person STEAMfest event. But, the students, parents, and teachers of Woodlawn were not willing to let the pandemic stop STEAMfest. They worked together and created WSTEAMfest.org - a three week long, virtual festival making it open to not only the local community, but also available to any student worldwide!!. They reached out and received help from engineers at Google and scientists at NASA. Activities have been provided by contributors from around the country including some popular YouTube creators. Students, teachers, parents, and local organizations like the Mooresville Public Library and the Davidson Land Conservancy have also contributed activities.

WSTEAMfest.org is a story of a community rising and adapting to these challenging times. Working together, they are building a stronger community and providing a resource for students, parents, and teachers struggling with remote learning. At Woodlawn School, this is called “The Woodlawn Way"!

More information about the 2021 STEAMfest at Woodlawn School may be found here.

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