Students, staff, and the local press gathered at Onaga Elementary yesterday afternoon for the ribbon cutting and demonstration of the flagship Steam Lab, one of five new classrooms in the district dedicated to cutting edge technological learning, including coding and robotics.
MUSD Superintendent Dr. Patricio Vargas opened the festivities by greeting the students, asking them if they were excited about STEAM Lab, to which the dozen kids responded in synchronized and enthusiastic affirmation.
“This is a truly remarkable moment. We’re really excited to have you here because you’re the first school where we’re going to do the ribbon cutting ceremony to know the technology that you now have available to play with but more importantly, to learn with,” said Vargas.
When students told Vargas about the virtual reality, coding, and robotic building they were learning from Steam Lab, Vargas was sure to remind them the importance of continuing their interests in reading, writing, and mathematics, encouraging them to remember to integrate all with their knowledge at Steam Lab.
Vargas then introduced Celeste Wahlberg, Director of Educational Technology, who gave a speech leading up to the ribbon cutting: “We stand here today to open the doors to our school districts first ever elementary students Steam Lab. This is not just a space filled with amazing technology, but it is also a space that holds the key to unlocking our students’ potential in ways that we never imagined before; with those skills that we can’t even anticipate that they’re going to need in the future. The world is changing rapidly, and skills needed for success are evolving as we prepare our students for the 21st century. It is crucial that we equip them not only with knowledge but with the ability to think critically, work collaboratively and solve real world problems creatively. This lab is at the heart of that mission. It’s a space where science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics come together to inspire innovation and fuel the imagination of our youngest learners… welcome to the future of education in the Morongo Unified School District.”
After the official ribbon cutting, Wahlberg invited attendees into the Steam Lab where students demonstrated the functions of each station. With STEAM standing for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics, the students were split into pairs to represent each element. The students were eager to share with attendees how they were building robotic cars, how they were learning to code, even warning us of the dancing skeletons and underwater scenes we might see when trying on the virtual reality glasses.`
