WORCESTER — About 150 volunteers from Worcester Public Schools, AbbVie and Heart of America recently teamed up to refurbish Jacob Hiatt Magnet School's library into a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math lab.
The day, June 26, was full of repainting walls, unloading supplies and assembling all necessary equipment.
According to the school district, the lab is planned to be used as a workspace for students at school along with "in-depth" learning opportunities across all areas of STEAM. The lab will be available for use for the 2024-2025 school year.
The STEAM Lab comes from a national effort from AbbVie and Heart of America, as well as WPS and AbbVie volunteers.
AbbVie and Heart of America have partnered with WPS before. In 2022 they helped transform a classroom into an immersive STEAM lab for Forest Grove Middle School students. In 2019, they did the same for Elm Park Community School. STEAM is more abstract than STEM. It includes everything from fine art and performance art to photography and even English literature.
Heart of America is a nationwide organization that partners with AbbVie to identify certain schools that are eligible and need assistance.
"It's all hands on deck," Jacob Hiatt Principal Tammy Boyle said.
Jacob Hiatt Magnet not only got a new STEAM lab but the crew also added a wellness space. The wellness space will be available to everyone but is particularly geared toward students on the autism spectrum, Boyle said.
"We have four (special education) classes now at Jacob Hiatt. Integrating them into our community has been a real focus of mine," Boyle said. "Going to the gym at the YMCA isn't really safe for some of them. So to have this wellness space where they can have room to play and a room to have gym class is really important."
Another room will act as their library. This summer, Boyle and her staff ordered more books that are a better representation of the student body, she said. For example, books will feature LGBTQ stories and stories of immigrants.
"Something that I wanted when I became principal was to strengthen the magnet at Jacob Hiatt," Boyle said. "From previous experience, I know that the STEAM philosophy and methodology can have a positive impact on student outcomes."
By the end of this decade, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates an additional 1 million jobs will be created in the STEM field. This lab provides preparation for the students, Boyle said in a press release.
"(The staff) came together came together to commit that STEAM philosophy, so this actual space is helping solidify that commitment," Boyle said. "Now we have this special space."
Boyle said the school's instructional coach will be the main point person in the STEAM labs. The instructional coach will co-teach with other teachers on model lessons, she said.
The STEAM labs engage students with hands-on activities that encourage problem-solving skills and critical thinking. It is an educational discipline that aims to spark an interest in the arts and sciences at an early age.
"My vision for my students is that they have high-quality, engaging experiences in our classrooms," Boyle said. "Experiences that ignite curiosity and passion and inspire them to come to school every day."
The additional STEAM lab falls in line with Superintendent Rachel Monárrez's Vision of a Learner future-ready framework, which encourages 21st-century learning models. The school district also hopes to shape students into "confident" adults who have the ability to navigate the ever-changing world of technology.
"My hope, honestly is that by the time every single child leaves Jacob Hiatt, they are poised to take the highest level classes in middle school, high school and beyond that," Boyle said.
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