STEM Education: What's New in the United Skates of America's STEM Program

Over 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.

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 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 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.”

Added Benefits

In addition to the first priority of the STEM Program providing an educational experience for teachers and students, rinks participating in the program have found additional benefits as well.

For example, at Great Skate in Glendale, AZ, General Manager of Sales and Marketing Cheryl Thomas says the STEM Program is a great way to get kids into a rink that have never been roller skating before. She says generally in a 100-student field trip, not even half of the participants have either stepped into her rink before or have ever roller-skated.

She takes advantage of that by including complimentary Skate Mate skating trainers for all kids participating in the STEM Program. And she also gives every teacher a skate lesson pass, as well as skate lesson passes for all their students. "Because today is their first day, we want them to come back, so I give them a free lesson pass," she explains.

Over at Fun Warehouse in Myrtle Beach, SC, STEM Coordinator and Teacher, Melissa Bornfreund, says she also sees a lot of first-time skaters through their STEM Program field trips. And teachers tell her the program grants them access to some hands-on tools they may not have access to in their classroom.

"We have all the materials here and we can do some more of that fun stuff that maybe (the teachers) couldn't quite do in the classroom because they didn't have the materials or the time to fit it all in," she explains.

And Jennifer Jones, Sales and Event Manager at Skate Zone 71 in Columbus, OH, says the STEM Program helps create repeat business for their rink, including schools that come back annually. "Some of these schools ... use it for a certain grade level," she explains. "It creates a lot of excitement that they know when they get to third grade or fifth grade, they're going to get to come here and do that roller skating field trip. It gives them something to look forward to.”

Setting Up For Success

Despite the obvious benefits of offering a STEM Program for local schools, some rinks may be hesitant to start the program. For example, Palermo says the biggest fear she hears from rinks is not being able to find an educator for the curriculum portion of the program. "There has not been one licensee or one of our rinks that has not been able to find an educator," she says. "It takes work, but you will find one.”

Thomas says they have been able to find their STEM educators through social media and ads on LinkedIn and Indeed. She says anyone with an educational background, including substitute and retired teachers, could learn how to teach the program. And she suggests even contacting the schools in your area for any teachers who might be looking for an extra job.

And Bornfreund suggests looking for teachers who stepped away from the classroom, which was her situation when she found out about the STEM educator opening at Fun Warehouse. She suggests reaching out to parent groups to find people who used to be teachers but cannot go back to work full-time due to child care requirements.

Rinks may also worry about how to draw schools to their STEM Program. Jones says they spread the word through hands-on marketing, including phone calls, in-person meetings, flyers, and eblasts. She has also invited local television studios to the rink to report on their STEM Program. "That's been a really great tool to send out and utilize to get new schools to understand and know about the program," she explains. "Maybe they've heard about it, but they didn't really understand what it was or see that we were actually an educational component.”

When they hear about the program, Thomas says the schools will come because they want a different experience for their students. "They want something different other than the zoo or the music museum or an art museum," she adds.

And with so many other roller rinks participating in the STEM Program, you won't be alone — you'll have access to others to ask for guidance and ideas. "A lot of us are always willing to share and let people know how we do it to kind of help to see what works best for their rink," Bornfreund says. "Everything's different for everyone, but you never know — maybe something that works for somebody else (will work for others). It's a very sharing group.”

10 Quick Tips For a Successful STEM Program

1. Familiarize yourself with the lessons and how they integrate with the school curriculum.

2. Look for a STEM Educator through social media, employment websites, parent groups, and even local schools.

3. Call schools to tell them about the program and ask for in-person meetings with principals and/or school boards.

4. Drop off program flyers to all schools in the area.

5. Teachers are busy — constantly follow up!

6. Post about the STEM Program on Facebook and encourage followers to tag their teacher friends.

7. Invite local media to come and cover your STEM Program.

8. Offer complimentary Skate Mates for first-time skaters.

9. Provide free skate lesson passes to all teachers and students to get them back into the rink.

10. Utilize all of the materials provided by the United Skates of America team; participate in meetings and licensee-only seminars to learn how to improve your program.