ENGINEERING SPOTLIGHT
Across all three school levels, our SMILE students are tackling a range of complex yet curiosity-sparking projects. Elementary students are discovering how things move and react, middle schoolers are experimenting with cause and effect, and high schoolers are applying these principles to more advanced designs. As quarter one comes to a close, let’s highlight some of the creations that have taken shape this fall.
Elementary
Our elementary students participated in an exciting experiment to explore the concepts of potential and kinetic energy! Students investigated how the height from which water is dropped affects the energy it has when it hits the ground—just like water falling from the top of a waterfall.
Through the experiment, students learned that potential energy increases with height and transforms into kinetic energy as the water falls. They also discovered that mass matters too—more mass means more energy! To measure this, students dropped water from different heights and measured the diameter of the splash. The bigger the splash, the more energy the water had!
Middle School
Our middle schoolers transformed into rocket scientists for the day as they explored the exciting concept of stored chemical energy to create motion!
Using Alka-Seltzer rockets, students experimented with Newton’s Third Law of Motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. By mixing water and Alka-Seltzer tablets, you can produce carbon dioxide gas. This gas builds up pressure inside the rocket, pushing downwards as it escapes. This downward force pushes against air or ground beneath it, creating an opposite force that launches the rocket upwards!
High School
Our high school students got to experience the fascinating world of electrical engineering! Students explored the basics of electrical circuits and currents by designing their very own light-up origami fireflies to take home.
Using simple materials, a coin cell battery, copper tape, and a small LED light, students learned how to complete a simple circuit and bring their paper fireflies to “life”. Throughout the process, students discovered how to connect components in a closed loop, troubleshoot, and apply real-world science in a fun and imaginative way. The final results showed students that engineering can also be creative in addition to being a challenging academic or career endeavour.
RI CENTRAL LANDFILL TOUR
Woonsocket High School SMILE students toured the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Center Central Landfill this fall to conclude their lesson on building a recycling sorting machine!
The Central Landfill in Johnston is Rhode Island’s only landfill; as such, it has dedicated itself to environmentally safe and compliant waste removal services for the benefit of Rhode Island community members. There, Woonsocket HS toured part of the facility, learning the proper ways to recycle and exploring how the landfill is designed in layers to contain odours, collect gases, and protect the environment.
The Central Landfill is running out of space, as the students discovered that day. Without a sustainable source of waste management, our communities could face serious environmental and public health challenges in the years to come. This realization brought to light in our students the importance of waste reduction and recycling efforts to conserve resources and protect our planet for the future.
PARTNERSHIP AWARDS
The SMILE Program has been actively running for the last 32 years, and we have had a ton of support along the way. From our funders to our program participants and everyone in between, we thank you for getting us to where we are now.
We recognise that The SMILE Program would not be possible without the partnership of the school districts and superintendents who’ve welcomed us into their schools and championed our mission of inspiring students through hands-on STEM learning. As such, we invite families, administrators, friends, and partners to our district-wide Family Science Nights happening between November and December. At this event, the presiding superintendents of each of our partnered school districts will receive an award for their participation in The SMILE Program.
It is our pleasure to award the following superintendents for their district and personal participation in SMILE at our Family Science Nights:
- From the Central Falls School District, which has been a participant for 23 years, we are proud to award Stephanie Downey Toledo for her participation over the last 6 years.
- From the Johnston School District, we are proud to award Scott Sutherland for his and his district’s participation over the last year.
- From the Newport School District, we are proud to award Colleen Jermain for her and her district’s participation over the last 10 years.
- From the South Kingstown School District, which has been a participant for 31 years, we are proud to award Michael Podraza for his participation over the last 2 years.
- From the West Warwick School District, which has been a participant for 30 years, we are proud to award Karen Tarasevich for her participation over the last 13 years.
- From the Westerly School District, we are proud to award Marc Garceau for his and his district’s participation over the last 9 years.
- From the Woonsocket School District, which has been a participant for 26 years, we are proud to award Patrick McGee for his participation over the last 12 years and Sandra Costa, Connecting for Children and Families Director of After School Activities, for her support over the last 15 years.
We are excited to see these amazing people at our Fall Family Science Nights, and we are especially proud of the innovative designs and presentations our SMILE students will put together to celebrate a night of discovery and learning!