ALBANY — K-8 students at the Hebrew Academy of the Capital District will present their STEAM-related projects to their families and the public at the school’s annual Science Fair on Monday, Feb. 10 at 6 p.m.
STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math which have been included in the students’ curriculum for years now.
Photo submitted by the Hebrew Academy
of the Capital District
“Every year I am amazed and overjoyed to see what our students bring to the Science Fair,” said Head of School Julie Pollack. “This event offers visitors and prospective students the opportunity to see the strong STEAM education our students receive here at the Hebrew Academy. I am proud of our students’ accomplishments and inspired by their ingenuity and expertise, and I am sure guests will be too.”
Located on 100 Academy Road in Albany, the Jewish day school, founded in 1962, has 58 students from kindergarten through eighth grade who live in various local school districts, including Bethlehem, Guilderland, Clifton Park, Albany and East Greenbush.
All students participate in the Science Fair and it is free and open to the public.
Expect to see the school’s auditorium host numerous tables where students can present their projects, speak with teachers and fellow classmates and answer people’s questions.
In an email, Pollack wrote, “Some students will be showing group projects and others will be sharing individual projects. Group projects include the five senses, and rocks and minerals. Individual projects are quite varied, and will include topics ranging from the human body, to the effects of video games on brain function, to the internal workings of a car.”
For example, she added that some middle school students are designing a model of a dwelling that would keep penguins warm which is related to climate change, heat conduction, insulation and energy transfer.
Parents Paul and Naomi Mozer, who live in Bethlehem, wrote in an email they are grateful that their first-grade daughter and fourth-grade son can use the event as an opportunity to explore their sense of wonder through research or experience.
Adding that their daughter is working with her class to learn about the five senses and their son is individually researching about a rare genetic disorder called the Tay-Sachs disease, it has helped teach them about time management, setting priorities and even using the Bethlehem Public Library as a resource.
The Mozers also wrote how their son’s project was inspired by one of his friends’ siblings who suffers from Tay-Sachs disease.
“The Science Fair is important for young students because it reminds them to ask questions about the world around them, seek answers, research, explore, experiment, talk to friends who may know more than they do about a topic, and learn,” they wrote. “When young kids see other students tackling research and experiments, posing scientific questions and drawing a conclusion, it reminds them that even if they’re young, they too are capable of doing the same.”
For more information, visit www.hacdalbany.org.
