STEM Program Kicks Off at Boys and Girls Club

The gym at the Monday was abuzz with activity Monday afternoon, but not with the usual basketball or kickball games. 

Local scientists, engineers and volunteers from , a technology corporation in Aberdeen, entertained club members and their families with a variety of hands-on science experiments for the first Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Family Night. 

The event kicked off a larger STEM initiative the Boys and Girls Club plans to begin this fall, said Susan Ciavolino, education director at the club. 

Musicians from the Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra brought violins for the members to try for a lesson on sound waves and the science of music. 

Students played with a gooey cornstarch concoction for a lesson on states of matter and watched Battelle volunteers perform experiments with acids and bases. 

"We wanted to connect with an organization in the community," said Battelle volunteer Jane Hinte. 

Ciavolino said the goal of Monday's STEM event was to pique students' interest. She said interested club members will have the opportunity to participate in one math or science class or a "Lego league" robotics class in the fall.  

"This is just the hook," Ciavolino said. 

As young members ran from station to station, Ciavolino said the club hoped to support the students' instruction in school, but in a fun way. 

"This isn't just another class," she said. "It's more than that. It's cool."