Grace College’s elementary education students are facilitating their fourth year of Girls in STEM, an after-school program for nearly 150 first- through third-grade girls at Madison, Washington and Jefferson Elementary Schools. The club, which meets once a week from 4-5 p.m., exposes local girls to robotics, electric circuits, coding and problem solving with the goal of teaching and inspiring the next generation of women in STEM.
“At Girls in STEM, Grace students work with small groups of girls to foster a love of science,” said Dr. Rachael Hoffert, chair of elementary education at Grace. “Our goal in these partnerships with the local schools is to not just teach education, but to build relationships and serve our community. We believe the best way to do that is through collaborations like this that benefit teacher candidates, STEM-certified elementary schools and the students they serve.”
Jodi Hanson, a part-time professor at Grace of six years, was instrumental in launching the Girls in STEM club four years ago and securing funds for the clubs’ robotics. She brings seven years of experience integrating STEM into reading, math and writing as an elementary teacher and has served on several STEM committees for Warsaw Community Schools.
“The School of Education is so thankful to have quality part-time instructors like Jodi, who has taken a hands-on approach to the critical thinking involved in STEM,” said Hoffert. “She facilitates powerful science lessons in the classroom, trains our students on STEM equipment and creates impactful ways for our candidates to apply their knowledge while serving our community.”
