This was an exciting year of growth for Schools That Can New York as we’ve expanded programming and brought on new staff. We are now gearing up for a big 2019-20 school year (check out the announcement at the bottom of this post for more on that). Read on for some of our highlights from this year!
Some of our biggest news comes in the form of launching the National Science Foundation-funded Maker Partnership Program! This collaboration between STC, MakerState and The Research Alliance for NYC Schools has provided curriculum, training, and professional development to 17 third- through fifth-grade teachers in eight elementary schools throughout New York City.
We also continued supporting our STC Maker Fellows program, which has developed the STEM teaching skills of 12 teachers across eight elementary and middle school schools! We’re continually wowed by the skills and creativity developed in these programs.
This year, we ran a Professional Learning Group with K-8 schools that focused on expanding real-world learning via professional development and student assessment. We look forward to iterating on that model based on feedback from schools this coming school year. 
In December, we hosted our e2e Gap event, where students participated in mock interviews and networked with professionals in finance, real estate, and the nonprofit sector. Getting to see students experience the interview process and explore potential paths is such an invigorating part of our work.
In January, we brought fresh perspective and leadership to STC NYC when Arana, our Executive Director, joined the team! Read her bio here.
In February, our very own Roger Horton presented at FabLearn 2019, an international gathering of educators, students and researchers to explore the theme “what role does Maker Education play in a world with growing social and environmental challenges?”
In May, we closed out the year with a fantastic Pop-Up Makerspace! We hosted 140 elementary and middle school students at the STC headquarters in NYC for hands-on challenges that drew from multiple STEM fields including electronics, robotics, computer science, civil engineering, and aeronautical engineering.
Finally, our big news: We’re hosting the 2020 Schools That Can National Forum! It will be the 15th Annual STC Forum, and theme is “Connecting Education to Employment in a Digital Age.” If you’re interested in joining us May 20-21, 2020, fill out our interest form here!
