What’s New in the United Skates of America’s STEM Program ver the past several years, childhood education has turned its focus to STEM. Standing for science, technology, engineering and math, STEM helps provide the solid foundation young students need to pursue careers in those fields later in life. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates STEM jobs will grow more than two times quicker by 2029 than all other occupations.
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Through the STEM Program developed by United Skates of America, roller rinks around the country can provide a unique opportunity for teaching STEM concepts to students. And — as some participating rinks have found — there are added bonuses to be had, including stronger relationships with local schools and getting first-time skaters through the door.
What is the STEM Program? According to Karen Palermo, CEO and President of United Skates of America, the STEM program was developed about 10 years ago when an educator teaching the company's then math-based educational field trip program suggested updating the program
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Volume 30 - Issue 3 - March/April 2022
to be based on the STEM curriculum. Today, the STEM program encompasses a three-hour program for schools, grades kindergarten through 12th. The first hour is the educational component led by a STEM instructor. Teachers choose from a variety of lessons tying STEM principles to aspects of roller skating, including motion, rink design, acoustics, and lighting. Then the remaining two are used for students to have lunch and skate. "And while they're skating, all those concepts that they learned in that first hour are really reinforced with the students while they're joining us for the fun portion," Palermo says. Over the past two years, the STEM Program came to a halt due to shutdowns and restrictions caused by the COVID pandemic. This year, Palermo says, the program is rebounding and schools are coming back. "We're coming up upon the first really great and strong end of school year season that we've seen since the global pandemic happened," she added. And looking forward to the 2022-2023 school year, Palermo says the STEM Program
By: Corrie Pelc
will be updated so all programs align with the Next Generation Standards in the school system. "Our schools have really transitioned out of Common Core and have moved towards Next Generation — most schools at this point have fully adopted the Next Generation Standards," she explains. According to Palermo, rinks will have access to explanations on how every STEM Program lesson relates to those standards. This, she explains, allows rinks to specifically recommend a field trip that relates back to some of the benchmarks and objectives that a teacher may be trying to hit for that upcoming school year. "It's really important to have that curriculum tie-in," she adds. "It's really what makes it specific to the grade level that's coming, and makes it incredibly valuable to the teachers that you're talking to, that this trip is not only going to relate in general STEM to their students and get them to see that STEM is even in fun things like roller skating, but it's also going to hit benchmarks that those teachers are required to hit throughout the course of the year.”
