Students Explore STEM at the Young Scholars/AAP Summer Institute
By Raine Jeff & Brooke Ehmann – Jones
June 22, 2022
On the second week of summer break, Advanced Academics and Young Scholar students return to school for a two-day institute exploring STEM. Led by teachers and surrounded by rising 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th graders, students engaged in activities ranging from building towers out of spaghetti and marshmallows, dropping eggs engulfed by common household items, and dissecting cow eyes.
Quinn Sussman, a student engaging in the institute, shared that, “doing different projects with my friends,” was the best part of day one. Another student, Sophia Holbrook, said, “I enjoyed walking out in the park and being in nature.” Not only were the students enjoying the institute, but the teachers were also too. Ms. Grillo, a mentor for this event, loved seeing students explore engineering with the spaghetti and marshmallow tower activity she led, “I love to see the [student’s] creativity and really the real-world connection of being an engineer.” The activities provided helped students and mentors to think critically about the projects they were participating in and the real-world applications of these projects.
Overall, this institute filled with STEM exploring and team building was enjoyed by many students and staff. And allowed teachers to see students captivated by the world of science, and students the opportunity to explore new topics and fill their summer with fun.
Brooke Ehmann - Jones (she/her), an 8th grader at Glasgow MS has been a writer for the Panther Post since the 2020 school year. She has lived in Northern Virginia all of her life and plays on a soccer team, loves playing music on her saxophone and the piano, enjoys reading, writing, cooking, and painting, and loves spending time outdoors on the many hikes she and her family have been on. Brooke is also very passionate about the environment and enjoys learning about nature, and volunteering to protect it. She has two cats at home, and loves traveling to national parks with her family.
Raine Jeff (They/Them) is an 8th Grader at Glasgow Middle School. They grew up in Virginia and have lived there for their whole life. They dance, play soccer, like doing art, baking, and taking care of their plants. They have a dog that they got during the pandemic and adore. They enjoy learning and being challenged to think in new ways.
