Student led program to plant new seeds with summer academy
While many kids have kissed their books goodbye for the summer, a group of local high school students have decided to open classrooms up for 8 to 12 year olds interested in applying their curiosity to some cool projects.
No adult teachers will be hovering about as these high school students lead the kids in projects involving computer hardware, programming, architecture, mechanical engineering and robotics. The academy will be an extension of a student led group focused on project-based learning.
This group, the brainchild of nine students from three area high schools, is called L.E.A.F., or Learning Experiences in Applied Sciences.
It is a student led organization currently exploring applied fields of study in architecture, robotics and hardware. “Those three disciplines are our current focus,” LEAF president Madeleine Pelzel said, “Not to say we wouldn’t or couldn’t explore other areas.”
With support from Ray Niehaus, director of the Center for Technology, Innovation and Manufacturing (CTIM) at VUJC, Christine Prior, Mick Hetman, and Dr. Alan Johnson, dean of VUJC, LEAF formed last June when the nine students decided to begin a peer-to-peer program to explore studies in whatever applied fields they were passionate about.
The group is supported through a fund established at the Dubois County Community Foundation and a grant from Jasper Engines & Transmissions.
Amazingly, this completely student led group has grown to about 30 members and meets voluntarily three times a week at the CTIM building at VUJC. All the meetings are voluntary and the group has grown to about 30 members.
“We got started in September and began in the computer hardware discipline,” Pelzel said. “Matrix (Integration) donated some old stuff so we could take these old computers apart and see how things worked.”
The group expanded into other projects from this. Currently, Pelzel, whose interest lies in architecture, is leading a team working on a repurposing of the historic Kilian home in Huntingburg.
Now 20 to 30 students from Jasper and Forest Park (Pike Central began with the group but has since split off their own group due to the distance) meet three times a week at VUJC to freely discuss and work on projects they have decided to explore.
With the success of the program, the students have decided to plant seeds by introducing young students to the interesting things Leaflings — as they have nicknamed their members — get to explore.
“We were sitting around and I brought up the fact that I wanted to be a physical therapist until I was in ninth or tenth grade because I had been in sports and that was what I was exposed to,” Pelzel explained. “It boiled down to each of us having decided what we wanted to do without ever having any experience in it.”
The group decided to create Budding Leaf for the 8-12 year olds to experience the five different applied fields in technology and design over the five day course of the academy.
“The goal for us is to reach out to area 8 to 12 year olds and really make them excited about learning things,” Pelzel said. “We want them to be interested in seeking out experiences that are very stimulating. I believe innately we are all wanting to learn more and we all have this natural ambition to know as much as we can about something. We want to give them that exposure to hopefully hook them onto something.”
Some of the projects the kids will be able to experience include programming a robot to complete an obstacle course, programming a lighting array and learning about video game development, building an FM radio, building a rocket, and learning about civic planning to name a few.
“By inspiring these kids to want to learn more about things outside of school, we are hoping to continue to build LEAF,” Pelzel said.
Enrollment for Budding Leaf is open now until Sunday, May 25. Those interest can view program information here and enroll in the academy here. Further information is also available by email at buddingleaf@leafteam.org. The academy is $75 and is paid to the Dubois County Community Foundation to continue to fund LEAF’s mission.
