On September 19, PA’s IB Ambassadors traveled to the Oceana Air Show to take part in the annual STEM Day. Academies from all over Virginia Beach are tasked with creating activities that highlight the unique aspects of STEM. They then share them with fifth-grade students during their field trip to the Air Show. The selected group of IB Ambassadors was in charge of preparing the activities beforehand and interacting with the students during the different STEM activities throughout the day.
According to Kara Gabriel, the gifted resources teacher at PA and one of the coordinators of the event, the goal of STEM day is not only to get exposure to STEM topics and projects, but also to see what the Virginia Beach academies have to offer. That job fell to the chosen IB Ambassadors, she explained. Gabriel worked alongside PAIB coordinators Jamie LaCava-Owen, Katie Liakos, and Katelyn Smith to manage and oversee the event.
“We have a group of IB Student Ambassadors that are in charge of representing PA and the IB program at various events, like STEM day,” Gabriel said. “I knew they were a group of students that were really good with working with that age group, and they were willing to help.”
Senior Mia Spruill agreed, adding that her passion for these events comes from her love of “bringing IB students who love learning and take a holistic approach to it together.” “[STEM day] unites students who want to see younger elementary students learn and have fun learning,” she explained. Spruill was the student coordinator of the event and worked closely with Gabriel and the other sponsors to organize the event.
The student ambassadors were involved in assembling the activities for elementary school students. Some of the activities included a race car track that demonstrated the concepts of friction and motion, and pulley rockets that showed the kids different ways to use simple machines.
On the day of the event, the students set up the different projects and got to work, talking and sharing their projects with the fifth-grade students. The students all arrived at similar times, Gabriel described, adding to the chaos and noise of the day.
Junior Asmitha Kasamshetty, an IB Ambassador at the Air Show, detailed how “overwhelming” the environment was at times. “There were a lot of academies and organizations and students all at one time,” she explained. “Many things were happening at once, but we figured it out, and we represented ourselves and the IB program as best we could.”
“Our student ambassadors are so good with working with that age group, and they were able to jump in with the kids, keep them excited about the activities, and explain what was going on, despite all of the jet noises,” said Gabriel. “They were able to keep the kids engaged and teach them a little bit while they were there.
As the day began to wind down, the student ambassadors were given time to explore the Air Show for themselves. Along with the Virginia Beach academies, there were other booths representing organizations like the U.S. Navy, where the students played cornhole and discussed what the Navy had to offer. The ambassadors were able to learn things themselves at the event while also helping the younger students learn.
The student ambassadors showed a dedication to learning, and they worked together to make the event a success, Kasamshetty explained. “We’ve all grown together in IB since the beginning, so together, we were able to help the kids learn based on our strengths and weaknesses.”
Spruill described how the students and their enthusiasm and readiness to learn is what makes STEM day special. “It was really refreshing because you get to see a younger generation get genuinely excited to learn.”
