S.T.E.A.M. program planned
S.T.E.A.M. storytime will take place from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, at the Main Library craft room, 625 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. The Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math program is for K-5th grade children. The program will have stories, songs, science and art. This month’s theme is chocolate. Children will make chocolate crafts, learn about the history and science of chocolate, and taste different kinds of chocolate.
KCKCC to play basketball at home today
Kansas City Kansas Community College will play home games today against Highland Community College. The women will play at 2 p.m. Feb. 3 followed by the men’s game at 4 p.m. The Highland women are undefeated in 23 games, while the Lady Blue Devils are 18-5. The Highland men’s team is 17-6, while the KCKCC men’s team is 7-16.
Chili cook-off planned
A chili, soup and dessert cook-off, “Ragin’ Sweet and Spicy Fest,” will be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Feb. 3 at Holy Name parish, 1001 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, Kansas. There is a division for ages 13 and younger. Entries are being accepted from 3 to 4 p.m. in the school cafeteria. Stranded in the City will provide music.
West Middle School has been awarded a $7,090 STEM grant from the Toshiba America Foundation. Today Mike Pursel, vice president general manager of Toshiba Business Solutions, and Brian Courtney, national and major account manager of Toshiba Business Solutions, presented the check to West Middle School’s Academic Enrichment Teacher Rachael McIlvain. From left are Mike Pursel, Brian Courtney, Rachel McIlvain, Principal Elvira Hurley, KCKPS Resource Development Officer Amanda Chavez and Dana Crawford from Toshiba Business Solutions. (Photo from Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools)
West Middle School, 2600 N. 44th St., has been awarded a $7,090 STEM grant from the Toshiba America Foundation.
The grant funds will support the purchase of two MakerBot Replicator 3D printers for use with an innovative classroom project. Students will study the Mars environment and then design a model of what they find is needed for survival on the planet.
The check from Toshiba American Foundation was presented to West Middle School’s Academic Enrichment Teacher Rachael McIlvain, students and staff, on Friday.
“Thank you to Toshiba for the grant to purchase the 3D printers, which will enhance the way we teach and enrich learning opportunities for our students today and well into the future,” McIlvain said. She is one of only 11 teachers in the United States to receive the award.
The classroom project involves students reading through passages of the book, “The Martian” for inspiration. Next, students will explore what is needed to survive on Mars as well as the environment surrounding the planet and challenges one would face there.
Students will work in teams to design different portions of a living habitat. After testing models of their habitat, students will be asked to create a mini model of their habitat portion in order to complete a single habitat for final evaluation. The 3D printer will be used to create the mini models of the living habitats.
Toshiba America Foundation’s grants fund projects designed by individual classroom teachers. This “direct-to-teacher” approach brings immediate results, according to a spokesman.
Teachers are able to change the way they teach Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects because the grant supports equipment for hands-on experiments and inquiry-based approaches to the curriculum. TAF believes that STEM is a lot more fun than just reading a textbook, a spokesman stated. TAF grants provide teachers with the tools they need to be more effective educators. The grants make the classroom a more exciting place for both teachers and students, according to the spokesman.
– Story from Melissa Fears, director of communications and marketing, Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools
Heart health will be the theme of the Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, meeting of the Kansas City, Kansas, Women’s Chamber of Commerce.
The meeting will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14, at the Keenan Education Center, Auditorium C, at Providence Medical Center, 8929 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas. It is scheduled in conjunction with American Heart Month during February.
The guest speaker will be Dr. Venkat R. Pasnoori, who will speak on peripheral artery disease.
Providence Medical staff will be on hand after the program to conduct a simple, free peripheral artery disease screen for anyone interested.
Also scheduled to be in attendance at the program will be Dr. Mistee Allen, a family medicine physician with Providence Medical Group. She will give a short presentation and will be available for questions about women and heart health.
The cost of the event is $20 for members and $25 for nonmembers.
For more information and to register, visit http://kckwomenschamber.org/.
