August 8, 2024
August 8, 2024
FSF Launches a New Science
Program at P.S. 94
August 8, 2024
The Henry Longfellow School (PS 94) in Sunset Park. Photo from Wikmedia
Brooklyn, NY – A fresh wave of opportunity will roll into Brooklyn this fall when Full STEAM Forward (FSF) brings its pioneering STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) program to The Henry Longfellow School in Sunset Park. With a mission to empower young girls of color through STEAM education, FSF offers free after-school enrichment programs to 3rd, 4th and 5th grade girls from underserved communities. This new initiative, supported by a $15,000 grant from the Cleveland H. Dodge Foundation, is set to transform the academic landscape for sixty 3rd grade girls at PS 94, The Henry Longfellow School during the 2024-25 school year.
Full STEAM Forward’s multi-year program is designed to build science knowledge, enhance self-confidence, develop creative problem solving skills, and increase career awareness. Teachers use the 5E Model of Instruction to engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate each topic with their students. The program also fosters literacy skills by incorporating a book or story about women in the sciences into each module. Full STEAM Forward believes that this multidisciplinary approach enriches student learning and helps them develop a range of skills that are crucial to all areas of learning.
Since its launch in 2020, Full STEAM Forward has provided free enrichment programming to over 400 girls in NYC. PS 94 The Henry Longfellow school will become an FSF community partner and offer weekly after-school classes featuring STEAM topics and hands-on experiments. In the first year of the three-year program, students study some of the world's most diverse ecosystems by exploring rainforests, oceans, deserts, and polar ice caps. By the end of the year, using geological, biological, and anthropological lenses, students will be able to explain why different ecosystems exist, what makes a healthy habitat, and how animals thrive in a variety of challenging places on Earth.
Joni Bessler, CEO of Full STEAM Forward, is excited about the new partnership with PS 94. "Our goal is to light a spark of curiosity and confidence in these young minds," Bessler explained. "Thanks to the Cleveland H. Dodge Foundation and PS 94, we can bring our experiential learning and critical thinking opportunities to the girls of PS 94."
“The Cleveland H. Dodge Foundation is dedicated to supporting programs that provide New York City youth with the skills to promote life-long achievement and overcome social inequities. We are delighted to partner with Full STEAM Forward to further this mission by helping their educators create in-person, after school programs in New York City based on their successful online model.”
FSF students on a field trip to the Prospect Park Zoo in 2022. Photo by FSF.
"The enthusiasm our students show is just the beginning," added Bessler. "We’re not just teaching them science or math; we’re opening doors to new possibilities and careers."
In addition to weekly classes, students can participate in monthly Zoom meetings with women of color working in a wide range of STEM fields. Studies show that for girls of color, interacting with professional women who look like them can have a significant influence on their ability to see themselves in STEM careers and leads to greater interest in STEM coursework in high school and college.
FSF hopes to expand these opportunities to other schools across New York City, to ensure that even more young girls of color have access to high-quality STEAM programming.
Full STEAM Forward is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to increasing representation in the STEM workforce.