Mineola’s high school robotic club members approached school administrators asking to bring STEM projects to the RISE classes, which support students with special needs.
The club members wanted to share their excitement for robotics. Upon getting approval from the administrators and RISE teachers, the members developed a series of STEM activities they could introduce to the RISE learners.
Members started by pulling out small groups of RISE learners and introducing them to Circuit Maze, a game that challenges players to connect pieces on a 5×5 board to allow the electric current to flow and cause bulbs to light.
Robotics Club member Makayla Apter-Quinn, a senior, was moved by the collaboration. “I like seeing them get excited about learning and achieving success on their own,” said Apter-Quinn. “It was inspiring for me to discover how they communicate in their own unique ways. Even if it’s not the same way we communicate, we still can share in these amazing moments and feel good that we’re opening their world, just as they are enriching ours.”
Following the small group sessions, the club opened the opportunity to the entire RISE class, creating a series of activities they would rotate through.
This included Circuit Maze, an activity the students were familiar with, and introduced Maze Code, a game that uses block coding to move an arrow through a maze, as well as two collaborative Lego challenges to build the tallest tower possible and build a house. Finally, the students were encouraged to draw whatever they’d like on a poster board, a display that now hangs in the robotics room.
“Working together with the RISE class helped us not only develop personal connections with them as a group but also gave us the opportunity to discover their individual learning styles,” said senior Julia Manevitz. “We could then adjust our activities to give them each the best, most fulfilling experience. It’s exciting to see how much they care and how our simple actions of going in and sharing our time can make such a difference in their day.”
The club looks forward to expanding its efforts and will soon be offering this experience to elementary school students within the district. Plans also include developing opportunities for RISE students from different schools to compete in STEM competitions, expanding the impact of this program their passion on a larger scale.
