Behind the scenes at Allentown’s newest school: 3D printers, music studio and more

Central Elementary School students on Tuesday showed off what they could learn as part of a possibly unique partnership that gives the school a second campus at the new Da Vinci Science Center in downtown Allentown .

The ground floor of the science center, which opened in May, is now the Allentown School District STREAM Academy. STREAM stands for science, technology, reading, engineering, arts and math.

Most students from Central Elementary School will get to visit the academy and use its facilities — which feature four classrooms, a media production studio and “Fab Lab” with robots and 3D printers — up to twice weekly.

District and Da Vinci officials on Tuesday held an official celebration of the academy, which opened at the beginning of the school year in late August.

“I could not be more excited about the opening of the Central Elementary STREAM Academy and our partnership with the Allentown School District,” Da Vinci CEO Lin Erickson said. “[Superintendent Carol Birks] and I had big dreams to establish this as a national model for museum-school partnership.”

The partnership is believed to be the first of its kind: While museum and school partnerships are nothing new, having an entire second campus at the museum is possibly unique. Central Elementary is just two blocks away from Da Vinci.

Instructor Ryan Irr talks about the Fab Lab on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, during the official launch of the STREAM Academy in Allentown. The partnership with Allentown School District will integrate science, technology, reading, engineering, art and math instruction for Central Elementary students at the center in downtown Allentown. A celebration event Tuesday featured special activities and demonstrations showcasing the program’s hands-on approach to learning. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

“There are lots of schools that have partnerships with museums, there are tons of them, but they just go and utilize the museum for just its facilities right here,” said Kendal Adkins, director of the Da Vinci Science Center and Allentown School District partnership. “Our STREAM Academy is a true integration of both Central Elementary and the Da Vinci Science Center.”

The partnership is part of a six-year contract the Allentown School Board approved in 2023.

Supporters said the new campus would expand learning opportunities and bring about equity for students in the district, where spending per student is below the statewide average and many families are close to or below the poverty line.

“Imagine a classroom where a science experiment is intertwined with artistic expression, or where mathematical concepts are brought to life through engineering project,” said Heidi Rochlin, executive director of STREAM Academy. “This is the future that we are building together right here in the Allentown.”

Highlights of the new campus include a recording studio, which students can use for music, podcasts or videos; a lab with 3D printers and robots to teach students about up-and-coming technology; and fully bilingual “little learners” program for pre-Kindergarten-age students.

STREAM Academy students will also have regular access to the rest of the science center during school hours, and families with students enrolled in the school district receive a free membership to visit any time.

Matthew Perez, a fifth grade Central Elementary student, told the audience about his recent science fair project — bored one day, he decided to remove the motherboard from a computer and turn it into a charger that can charge six phones at once.

The science-minded youngster said the new STREAM partnership would help him explore his interest in technology and science.

“Central STREAM Academy, you help people with mathematics, engineering, reading, science, technology and art,” he said. “I have a lot of good memories there. And I hope a lot of people do too.”

Birks said she hopes the STREAM Academy is just the first of several “theme-based schools” the district will unveil in coming years.

“We envision that within the next three years that we open at least another, at least at minimum three more STREAM theme-based schools,” Birks said in a follow-up interview.

Possible themes for future schools could include artificial intelligence, arts and music, and medicine and health care, Birks said.

Reporter Lindsay Weber can be reached at Liweber@mcall.com.