NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Rotary Club of Old Fort resumed its STEM Saturdays programme in November 2022, with the partnership and support of Lyford Cay International School (LCIS) and Lennox Paton. The programme was started by the Rotary Club of Old Fort in 2018.
STEM Saturdays is an out-of-school enrichment programme for 4th and 5th-grade students of Adelaide Primary School. Students participate in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) educational activities at the LCIS campus every Saturday.
“STEM Saturdays is one of the signature service projects of the Rotary Club of Old Fort,” said Shanley Toote, President of the Rotary Club of Old Fort.
“The STEM Saturdays Programme provides students who normally wouldn’t have STEM education as part of their regular curriculum with opportunities to engage in STEM activities. This allows them to develop stronger critical-thinking and collaboration skills.”
STEM Saturdays allow Adelaide Primary School students to experience a similar type of learning as LCIS, which was described in a press release as “a high-quality, rigorous International Baccalaureate curriculum”.
Toote continued: “We give the students hands-on activities and engineering challenges, using everyday items, to ensure that each of them is able to grow and succeed in their own way”.
Damari Tinker, a Grade 5 student from Adelaide Primary said, “STEM Saturdays has been really fun so far. It is great to be able to see my friends and learn in a fun new way. I am looking forward to learning more in the weeks to come. I don’t like the programme – I love it!
Semester 1 of the programme will continue for two more weeks before ending with a Christmas social for the students. Then, the programme will resume in January for Semester 2. Toote explained that the plan is to offer at least 15 Saturdays per school year for the Adelaide students. The Rotary Club of Old Fort also ensures that students receive transportation to and from the programme, as well as breakfast and lunch at no cost to their parents.
“We are able to offer our corporate partners a track record of success in our service projects. I encourage other members of Corporate Bahamas to reach out to us to collaborate in developing this programme further,” said Toote.
