BALDWIN PARK – Elementary students at Baldwin Park Unified’s STEM Academy are writing code, programming robots, building crash test dummies and more as part of the in-depth, hands-on learning instruction through Project Lead the Way (PLTW) curriculum.

The science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) instruction for Academy students in third through fifth grade, referred to as the PLTW Launch Curriculum, immerses students in activities, projects and problem-solving opportunities that help them develop skills in three main areas: engineering, biomedicine and computer science. The curriculum aims to challenge students to design and execute experiments, and communicate their results visually and orally.

“The Launch Curriculum teaches our students practical and in-depth skills at a very early age,” Principal Mike Rust said. “It is an incredibly unique learning opportunity to engage in real-world, hands-on instruction in the hottest job market areas that exist today.”

Elementary students at BP STEM Academy have formed a tight-knit community, with students collaborating across grade levels to teach each other new concepts and challenge each other to think outside the box.

The robust STEM instruction elementary students receive, complimented with enriching extracurricular activities, encourages them to be creative and challenge them to compete at high levels, including the areas of visual and performing arts.

Students can sign up for robotics teams that further help them practice their programming skills by building robots to compete throughout the school year. This year, two elementary robotics teams qualified for the California State Championships, and one team qualified for the World Championships, showcasing the high level of skill in just the first year of the program’s running.

“The elementary curriculum at BP STEM Academy offers students an in-depth look into the STEM field at a young age,” Superintendent Dr. Froilan Mendoza said. “It’s such a unique learning environment that puts students on an early pathway to achieve academic success.”

PHOTOS

BPUSD_STEM1: Elementary students at BP STEM Academy participate in hands-on, in-depth learning in the areas of engineering, biomedicine and computer science. Students are also offered a range of enriching extracurricular activities, including joining robotics teams where they learn to design and program robots to complete tasks.

BPUSD_STEM2: Elementary students at BP STEM Academy perform hands-on activities in class such as writing code, building crash test dummies to study concussions, programming robots and more.