- April 18, 2024
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David C. Hinson, Sr. Middle School theater teacher David Bell and his students, Lyric Ferguson and Emily Wetzel, volunteer to run the sound effects station at the family science night. Photo by Michele Meyers
David C. Hinson, Sr. Middle School students eighth grader Celine Smith and seventh grader Kylee Bero have fun at their school's family science night. Photo by Michele Meyers
Corrinna Oakley, Cindy Klinck and Roshni Patel volunteer to serve pizza during the David C. Hinson, Sr. Middle School family science night. Photo by Michele Meyers
David C. Hinson, Sr. Middle School students, eighth grader Celine Smith and seventh grader Kylee Bero hang out at the family science night. Photo by Michele Meyers
David C. Hinson, Sr. Middle School theater teacher David Bell and his students, Lyric Ferguson and Emily Wetzel, volunteer to run the sound effects station at the family science night. Photo by Michele Meyers
David C. Hinson, Sr. Middle School student eighth grader Parker Story runs the solar energy station at the family science night. His mom volunteered him to help but now he loves the solar energy machine he demonstrates for the kids. Photo by Michele Meyers
STEMWERX Technology and Education Director Beth Hanning holds up a 3D car that was printed after it was created in Tinker CAD, a 3D modeling program. Photo by Michele Meyers
STEMWERX Technology and Education Director Beth Hanning helps students use the Tinker CAD program at the David C. Hinson, Sr. Middle School family science night. Photo by Michele Meyers
David C. Hinson, Sr. Middle School students learn that rowing is all about physics and biomechanics as Kendis Mitchell rows at the family science night. Photo by Michele Meyers
David C. Hinson, Sr. Middle School student Kipton Brown has been rowing with the Halifax Rowing Association for six months. He says he loves it but does not think about the physics behind it. Photo by Michele Meyers
David C. Hinson, Sr. Middle School hummed with kinetic energy Tuesday, April 25, as families participated in multiple science stations set up throughout the cafeteria and lined up in the gymnasium to enter the Museum of Arts and Sciences’ mobile planetarium.
Derby Johnson — a member of the Hinson Parent, Teacher and Student Association member and also the PTA president at Pathways Elementary — had been at a meeting at the middle school discussing ways to support students and families with beneficial activities when she mentioned that Pathways was already planning a science, technology, engineering and mathematics night. She was asked if she would like to organize such an event at Hinson. She agreed.
Due to the work being done at the elementary school, Johnson already knew that the MOAS’ education department had a family science night program that partners with Volusia County and its schools. According to its website, the museum has 14 to 15 curriculum-based stations to choose from, with the mobile planetarium available upon request.
I love STEM. I want to be an engineer for NASA. After I graduate from high school I want to go to Embry-Riddle and become an aerospace engineer and designing the rockets, hopefully. I want to try to get the next 3D printed rocket to be as much percentage of it 3D printed as possible. — Emily Wetzel, Hinson Middle School student
She forwarded the list to the Hinson science department, and its faculty members chose 13 MOAS stations they felt were most relevant to their current curriculum. Three additional stations — STEMWERX, Modern Minds Learning and the Halifax Rowing Association — were added to expand the scope of the event.
“Between the MOAS and their established stations and us supplementing with different community partners, we were able to create a program that really appealed to our middle schoolers, parents who were interested in finding other educational opportunities for their kids outside of school, and, of course, younger siblings who tagged along,” Johnson said. “I am very pleased with how the event turned out.”
Volunteers helped at the event, including Hinson theater teacher David Bell and two of his students—Lyric Ferguson and Emily Wetzel, who ran the sound effects station.
“I love STEM,” Wetzel said. “I want to be an engineer for NASA. After I graduate from high school, I want to go to Embry-Riddle and become an aerospace engineer and design the rockets, hopefully. I want to try to get the next 3D-printed rocket to be as much percentage of it 3D printed as possible.”
STEMWERX Technology and Education Director Beth Hanning taught kids how to use Tinker CAD, a computer-aided 3D modeling program. Hinson student Hayden Haylock learned how to align all the pieces together and built a race car. Hanning held a car that had been printed from a Tinker CAD design.
“That’s just a perfect example of why I am so glad we are able to give that kind of exposure to our kids,” Johnson said. “How awesome that she (Wetzel) has a theater club at her middle school where she was able to go to a STEM night and is exposed to different areas. I love it. A theater kid that wants to be an engineer.”
As a working parent, Johnson understood the need to feed the families that came to enjoy science night. AMMG Health Ventures sponsored the event, and, along with one of the parents, donated money for food and giveaways. Five Star Pizza, Nothing Bundt Cakes and Chick-fil-A also offered free food and gift cards for the volunteers. MOAS and the Orlando Science Center donated passes.
“As a parent who’s a member of the PTA at both my kids’ schools, one of the things we want to do is bring awareness to the mission of the Florida PTA, which is to make every child’s potential a reality and to help our families advocate for all children,” Johnson said. “It’s a mission that has been very important to me. I’m hoping that by having newspapers and all the folks who can help bring awareness to the work we do, that it will just make our schools and ultimate our community better for it.”
