New Heights picks up STEAM

Reflecting pedagogical shifts in education and needs in the broad industries of technology and manufacturing in New Hampshire, New Heights in Portsmouth and Exeter has shifted its focus in recent years to include STEM programs. An acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, STEM education at New Heights now incorporates the Arts, which is a transition that has caught the interest of several large grant-making entities.

Most recently, New Heights received $25,000 from the Dorr Foundation to expand its STEAM programming into school districts throughout the Seacoast for 3rd through 5 graders. Currently, New Heights offers STEAM programs in the Portsmouth and Newington, NH school districts.

According to New Heights Executive Director Tracey Tucker, the main objective of the expansion is to not simply provide young students with access to technology.

"This is about helping students build 21st Century skills like communication, team-building, problem-solving, leadership," she said. "These are the foundational skills that research shows are critical for long-term success in the workforce—and they are the skills employers today say are lacking."

With the expansion expected to begin sometime this spring, Tucker said the program will be offered during the school day in the classroom. She expects to serve 150 youth through the program.

In addition to meeting an educational need today, she said the expansion helps build what she and her staff refer to as "a STEAM pipeline."

"This pipeline will get younger students interested and engaged and lead to more opportunities for learning as they enter high school," said Tucker.

Representing the other end of "the STEAM pipeline," corporate sponsors and industry partners recognize the value in New Heights' STEAM programs, too, especially those who have additionally served as volunteers.

"I saw such a wide range of skills being developed during our time," said Pat Bourque of LanAir, Inc., who worked with one of New Heights' robotics competition teams. "Watching them make mistakes and correcting for them just shows the amount of problem solving and communication that competitions require. From budgeting to building, the kids were all hands on."

According to Tucker, this "hands-on" learning is essential for all young people today.

"The old notion that a teacher stands in front of a class and lectures to students is not only outdated, it has been proven ineffective," she said. "Schools are responding to these changes, which makes this grant from the Dorr Foundation so important. We will reach students who generally would not have access to these educational opportunities."

Founded in 1987, New Heights provides experiential learning programs that range from adventure and art to now STEAM. Once offered just out-of-school, many of these programs are now available in the classroom and/or during the school day in select school districts.

For more information about New Heights' STEAM or Adventure program, visit www.newheightsonline.org.