CANTON, Mo. — Culver-Stockton College (C-SC) was recently awarded a $4,000 grant from the Community Foundation Serving West Central Illinois & Northeast Missouri to support Culver-Stockton’s innovative STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) program for area pre-K through sixth-grade students.
The program, a partnership between C-SC’s Education Department and local school districts, provides C-SC education students with engaging, hands-on, experiential learning opportunities. According to Assistant Professor of Education Lindsay Uhlmeyer, Culver-Stockton students work together to envision the themes for each day, plan the lessons and learn what is age-appropriate, and practice the projects in advance.
“We are grateful to the Community Foundation, as well as the Lewis County Endowment Fund Council, for this award. The grant makes it possible for us to continue this important program without passing costs on to families,” Dr. Uhlmeyer explained. “It allows us to provide educational enrichment and childcare at no cost to parents, while also giving our preservice teachers valuable classroom experience with faculty support. We hope to continue to give back to our community and to continue to grow this program.”
Since its start, the program has partnered with the Canton R-V School District. Thanks to this funding, it will expand this year to include students from Clark County R-1, Palmyra R-1, and Lewis County C-1. Each STEAM Day features subject-based lessons, movement activities, campus tours, and collaborations with other C-SC departments. Past activities have included chemistry demonstrations and financial literacy lessons. (The program was recently featured in the Missouri State Teachers’ Association magazine, see https://msta.org/news-and-media/culver-stockton-college-steam-days.)
Paige Corbin, a C-SC Education student who participated in past STEAM Days, said the program has given her valuable experience in learning behavior management, lesson planning, and how to work with students in different age groups.
“It just gives me that confidence, and I feel good about going in and being able to lead a group of 20 kids,” Corbin said. “It reassures me that I’ll do fine in the classroom on my own because I’ve had so many opportunities through STEAM Days.”
C-SC has recently renovated two classrooms to create a more child-friendly learning environment, anticipating continued growth in the number of participants. With the expansion to multiple districts, the program is expected to serve more children than ever before.
Those interested in enrolling students in upcoming STEAM Days at Culver-Stockton College can learn more and register at https://forms.gle/QPTte3nKjfTz3Nw26.
For more information about the Culver-Stockton College Education Department, visit https://culver.edu/majors/education.
Photo caption: L to R: Kent Embree, program officer, Community Foundation; Pat Benson, chair, Community Foundation Board of Directors; Dr. Lindsay Uhlmeyer, assistant professor of education, Culver-Stockton College; Dr. Lacy Harrison, assistant professor of education, Culver-Stockton College; and Catherine Meckes, CEO, Community Foundation.
Contact the Marketing & Public Relations Office, at pr@culver.edu or 573-288-6000 ext. 6728 for more information.
NOTE: A number that appears immediately after a person’s name (i.e. Jane Doe ’18) is a reference to the year that person earned their bachelor’s degree from Culver-Stockton.