Friday Harbor High School: a STEM update
By Derek Smith
STEM students working with the Augmented Reality Sandbox.
Hard to believe we’re almost through the 2016-17 academic year in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Program at the San Juan Island School District, where creating and innovating continues in our amazing workshop! This year, the fall semester included Robotics, Digital Production, Advanced Game Design, Digital Photography, and a new Renewable Sustainable Futures class. We covered terrestrial, aerial, and underwater robotics, 3D printers, laser cutters and scanners, CNC routers and mills, video and still photograph editing and animation, and 2D and 3D video game design for game consoles and virtual reality systems. The Renewables students researched, proposed, and designed systems to address the future energy-independence of our islands, and even drafted a letter to the City Council about the feasibility of tidal turbines to provide energy for our community. We continued to engage the elementary and middle schools with our after-school robotics club, and had the Robotics class students design lessons for the elementary school using app-enabled robots like BB-8 from the Star Wars series.
Lucy Urbach creating a 3D animation using Maya software.
This semester, we’ve continued with the second half of Digital Photography and Advanced Game Design and are also offering an engineering class focused on semester-long projects working with state-of-the-art digital production equipment. For the first time at the high school, we’re teaching Marine Biology and Mobile Application Design classes. Our ongoing partnership with the Friday Harbor Laboratories will allow the marine biology students to interact with faculty and students conducting research, get a close-up look at the extraordinary life on the rocky intertidal reefs of the marine preserves, and get hands-on experience on the Labs' research vessel Centennial. Our after-school 4th-12th grade robotics students have continued designing and creating Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and will be headed to the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Regional Competition in May to compete with three different classes of underwater robots. We’ve also managed to incorporate art and digital media design into many of our classes and extracurricular activities, with a robust screen-printing lab producing garments with original student artwork.
As much as we enjoy giving our students incredible opportunities every day, we also found time to partner with community organizations like TEDxSanJuanIsland, Soroptimists, Rotary, San Juan Islands Conservation District, Island Rec, Friends of the San Juans, and Washington Vocational Services to host workshops and guest lectures across a broad range of topics. In April, we built two traditional voyaging canoes under the guidance of Lummi Master Builder Dean Washington. In addition to being one of the only school districts to incorporate Governor Inslee’s new First Nations educational and cultural mandates, we expect this will be the start of a shipwright program giving students hands-on experience with one of the oldest traditions in the Pacific Northwest! It’s a great time for STEM education in the San Juan Islands!
Ava Hoffman working with the CNC Router Table in the workshop. Photos: Derek Smith.
We are thrilled to announce that FHL has a new endowment, established by a generous supporter of the FHL Science Outreach Program. This Friday Harbor Labs Science Outreach Program K-12 Endowed Fund will help guarantee that Island students continue to benefit from a Friday Harbor Labs connection into the future. We'd be grateful for your help building this endowment!
