School District STEM Conference

The Hillsborough County (Tampa area) Public School District held a K-12 STEM Leadership Mini-Conference on June 3. Attendees not only included STEM teachers, but also K-12 math and science leads, among others. The conference was attended by 325 district educators. The conference began with Nate Davis as the Keynote Speaker, who is a former Assistant Superintendent and Principal, and is currently a Leadership Executive at Apple. He talked about how to use STEM projects and activities to develop students with skills required for the future, such as creative problem-solving, analytical thinking, design, and collaboration. Attendees then got to choose from over 80 presentations given in four breakout sessions. Bill Yucuis, from the Waterman-Twining Chapter, gave a presentation at three of the breakout sessions where he talked about the AFA STEM programs of StellarXplorers and CyberPatriot, and CAP STEM resources, such as their ACE program. He emphasized how these STEM activities prepare students for the skills mentioned by Nate Davis. A special thanks goes to Susan Mallett, who provided CAP briefing slides and ACE handouts for the attendees. 18 educators, ranging from Kindergarten through High School, attended the presentation. These educator leaders will spread the word throughout the district about the importance of STEM and how AFA and CAP STEM programs and projects can be used to enhance classroom instruction.