'We're trying to build excitement for future academic opportunities'
Dec. 12, 2024 / Fifth-graders from Shasta Elementary School, with an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), got a firsthand look Dec. 12 at the opportunities awaiting them at Mazama High School. During their visit, students from Katie Johnson’s project-based learning classes had the chance to drive robots, explore engineering and robotics courses, and learn about programs in automotive, construction, and metals manufacturing.
Mazama STEM teacher Laura Nickerson collaborated with local elementary schools to organize these shop tours, introducing younger students to courses that could spark their interest in future careers and skilled trades. On Dec. 5, a group of fifth- and sixth-graders from Peterson Elementary joined Nickerson and Mazama’s auto, woods, and metals teachers, along with student leaders, for the tour. After winter break, upper elementary students from Ferguson and Stearns will have a similar opportunity.
The Shasta students began their visit in Nickerson’s robotics classroom, where they eagerly drove robots built by high school students. In the construction shop, teacher Michael Edwards and his students discussed ongoing projects, including an 8-by-16-foot shed built for residents impacted by the Copperfield Fire near Sprague River. Automotive teacher Steve Walker showed the students a variety of tools and machinery used by his students to repair vehicles, while a student from the metals manufacturing class demonstrated how to weld two pieces of metal together.
Over the past year, Mazama High School has worked to engage students from its feeder junior high and elementary schools, incorporating programming designed to generate academic interest and foster a more inclusive K-12 community. This fall, for example, Mazama and Brixner teamed up to offer a program that allows junior high students to take CTE courses at the high school.
Johnson emphasized the importance of capturing students’ interest in the upper elementary grades. “We’re trying to build excitement for future academic opportunities,” she said.
