November 6, 2018
Palm Beach Daily News
Robots took over the third floor of Rosarian Academy’s Picotte Center last week for ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremonies of the Freitas STEM Innovation Center.
The innovation center is an 1,840-square-foot area renovated and devoted to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) classes for Rosarian students.
The center provides an environment in which students can think, innovate, design and solve problems. Its educational furnishings and technology includes video green screens and projectors, 3-D printers, laser cutters, EV3 kits, BeeBots and much more.
Students were on hand Friday to lead adults through stations, guiding them in using robots and other technological equipment and helping them experience the project- and problem-based learning that takes place in the classrooms.
Donors honored at the ceremony were Mary and Mark Freitas of Palm Beach, William and Jean Koeppel, Estelle Curran, and the Adrian Dominican Sisters.
“It’s such a great school we have, and this is a great addition for it,” Mark Freitas said before the ceremony. “I was recently at the University of Connecticut and all I heard there was STEM, STEM, STEM. It’s just huge there.”
The STEM concept has been widely embraced throughout the nation. Over the past few years, STEM and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) programs have taken root as schools and colleges come to grips with the need to train a technologically proficient workforce for the future. Toward that goal, Rosarian Academy recently partnered with the Pittsburgh, Pa.-based Carnegie Science Center as the first Carnegie STEM Excellence Pathway partner in Florida. The Carnegie STEM Excellence Pathway program is designed to help schools adopt best practices in STEM education. Through shared learning processes and continuous curricular improvement, the school is proving its commitment to preparing students for any career path in the 21st century.
