West Fannin Elementary School fifth grade student Brody Graham represented his school as one of six elementary school students from across the state to participate in the Georgia Department of Education (GADOE)’s STEM/STEAM Panel Series Tuesday, October 13.
“I think that it’s an honor to represent my school and talk about what we get to do in STEM and how other people should possibly try it, because it’s a fun and very educational way to learn,” Graham said.
The panel was a part of GaDOE’s STEM/STEAM virtual panel student series where different school level students were able to explain to participants how STEM and STEAM learning has impacted students’ lives both in and out of the classroom.
Graham’s STEM teacher, Kim Patterson, explained that Graham was selected as a panelist following his impressive tour of the school’s STEM practices during a STEM Open House last year.
“That was an honor right there,” Patterson said. “They’re looking at us a little bit as leaders around the state. They want to come to our school and see things, but with stuff going on right now that’s not possible, so this panel is to help people get started.”
During the panel, Graham planned to specifically discuss his STEM work in his class journals, however he was prepared for a variety of questions and discussion topics including the school’s STEM Engineering and Design Process, which consists of Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create and Improve.
Graham loves being a West Fannin student, and takes pride in the school’s STEM certification status.
“I think that one of the best things is that everybody can come to this school, and everybody can get the right to learn with STEAM or STEM and interact with that,” he said. “I also like that this school let’s you be creative. They don’t just give you one thing and tell you to do that, they’ll give you one thing and tell you to improve it.”
He explained that through his STEM education he’s learned about geodes, Alexander Calder’s invention of the mobile, invertebrates and so much more.