Learning to Pivot: High School STEAM Camp

BB2C put on their 4th annual high school STEAM Camp at the end of June. The camp, hosted at the BB2C Makerspace, provides students with an opportunity to work together in teams to strengthen both their soft and hard skills. Utilizing different equipment and materials from the Makerspace, students create individual Rube-Goldberg machines with their teams. They then have to connect all of the individual machines together to create one comprehensive machine. 

This summer, 14 high school students attended. They represent the homeschool community, Fort Frye High School, Marietta High School, St. John’s Central School, Warren High School, Waterford High School, and Wood County Christian School. They were divided into four teams to brainstorm, conceptualize, create, and refine.

A big part of the student experience is learning how to pivot. Not only do they have to figure out how to work with their teammates and create something they’ve likely not engaged with before, they also have to deal with disappointment as initial ideas fail and need to be either refined or replaced. Success comes not just in getting the machines to work individually and together, but also in building relationships, learning about the skills needed to succeed personally and professionally, meeting new people, hearing about new career opportunities, and having fun! 

This year’s camp pivoted as well: This was the first year that it was not an overnight residential camp. Based on the past two years participation, the majority of the students who attend were local. By evolving the camp into a day-camp, it not only mets students where they are, but also allows the Makerspace to host our first-ever middle school STEAM Camp. Camp favorites such as kayaking and visiting Discovery World on Market were still a part of this year’s camp. Students also had the chance to connect with a professional from the community, like in previous years. This year, they met Chad Folmer who works for the Ohio Department of Transportation Southeastern Ohio District 10. He shared how he needed to change careers due to life challenges and how he has been able to innovate at his current job by using remote control cars to inspect culverts

Community and Career Connected Learning Coordinator Kristi Leonard-Webber shared, “Meeting the kids where they were and watching them personally become empowered is the magic and my why.” Students also shared their thoughts about STEAM Camp:

“[What motivated me was] the fact that I believed that I could accomplish something this hard and succeed… Both Holly and Jared helped with a ton of problems I had throughout the project.”

“Our group really did a great job. We put our ideas together and helped each other keep going to successfully complete our project!”

Each student was recognized for the unique contributions that they brought to their teams and to this year’s camp. Teams machines were also judged. Staff from the Governor’s Office of Appalachia, which funds the BB2C Makerspace STEAM Camp, spent time hearing from the students and deciding on the winning team. This year’s team winner was the Blue Team!

Makerspace Director Jared Wittekind reflected, “It was an incredibly exciting week for students and staff alike. It's always a thrill to see students discover new interests and talents. It's incredibly rewarding to create an opportunity for students to explore skill sets that could lead to futures they might not have otherwise imagined for themselves.”

Want to learn more about our Makerspace? Email makerspace@bb2careers.org.