BY KARISSA MILLER

Seventh-graders from across the county had the chance to participate in several hands-on learning
activities at Iredell-Statesville Schools’ third annual Career Technical Education STEAM Day on Tuesday.

The event, which was held at Unity Center, featured a variety of science, technology, engineering, arcade and math activities for around 100 students to check out throughout the day.

Students also put their soft skills into action, utilizing good communication, teamwork, adaptability, problem-solving and leadership. These skills are essential for effective collaboration and success in the workplace.

“STEM and STEAM activities are important because they teach students how to think critically, enhance their problem-solving skills, and help them practice necessary communication skills,” explained I-SS STEM coordinator Debra Lester. “These practices not only make students great learners; they also make them great employees.”

This year, the ‘A’ and ‘M’ in STEAM stands for Advanced Manufacturing.

“The local community is dependent on us [school system] to not only provide students a sound education but to also teach them transferable skills that will translate from the classroom to the workforce. Our goal is to recruit our own graduates so that after students complete high school and/or college, they will return to Iredell County to begin their careers,” Lester said.

During the event, sponsors and volunteers staffed the STEAM stations, which gave them an opportunity to interact and get to know the students.

Sponsors and volunteers included Papa John’s Pizza, Lingo Staffing, Denso, Crosby Scholars, Gilbane, Doosan, Jon C. Packman Dentistry, and Mitchell Community College.

“Our local business and industry leaders understand the importance of STEM-based instruction and readily support our STEM endeavors in Iredell-Statesville Schools,” Lester said.

The overall winner was Third Creek Middle School. Their teacher is Michael Mitchell.

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