Pacific Beach Elementary School holds a community-wide STEAM science night twice a year.

STEAM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, art, and math. It’s an integrated approach to learning that encourages students to think more broadly about real-world problems. This instructional approach helps students ask questions, problem-solve, and develop innovative and creative thinking strategies.

Funded by Friends of Pacific Beach Elementary School, the event brought students, families, and community members together to explore and engage in the amazing ways that science impacts everyday lives. The 10 interactive STEAM activities included learning about gravity, kinetic energy, conservation of energy, movement and friction, buoyancy, and robotics.

Activities included Airzooka (launching paper rockets with air propulsion), building roller coasters in the GAGA pit, designing aluminum foil boats to test buoyancy, and launching large rubberized rings with Mission Bay High School’s robot. Students even had the opportunity to design and test small structures on a “shake table” to determine a structure’s integrity during an earthquake.

“Several years ago the staff at PBES committed themselves to a strong, activities-based science curriculum for the school. Our STEAM science night is a way to share that commitment with our community at large,” said PBES’ lead science teacher Michelle Warner.

Doug LaRue, the STEAM Night coordinator, met the science teams’ presenters as they arrived to set up for the April event. LaRue assigned their activity to an area of the playground and assigned volunteers to each activity. Each activity center had at least one adult volunteer partnered with middle and high school students who returned to help with the science night.

“It is so gratifying to know our parents and staff and especially our alumni continue to support our fall and spring science activity events,” LaRue said.