Full STEAM Ahead By LiliAnn Paras | Photo Carmela Caracappa
Q: What can occur when a motivated individual acts on an idea and enlists the community to make it a reality? A: STEAMpark, a nonprofit organization to inspire life-long learning. Five years ago, Leigh Dym— concerned about both the lack of after school activities for underserved children, and scarce activities for all those not involved in sports—decided to act. She recruited many of her Rumson neighbors to set up programs focused on STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. And so began STEAMpark, an organization dedicated to helping children in kindergarten through eighth grade to each reach their full potential, regardless of income or zip code. STEAM (and STEM) programs reach beyond merely reciting the concepts and vocabulary of these topics. STEAMpark provides handson learning with real world applications. “For example, if it’s a science activity, they may be exploding things or building things, (laughs) and, we always pull in computer literacy support,” explained Leigh. The students come from diverse backgrounds, the vast majority living throughout Monmouth County. There are also a handful of students