5 Examples of STEM Extracurricular Activities for Students
Are you interested in honing your STEM skills? St. Agnes offers students a variety of opportunities to build their skills and confidence through STEM extracurricular activities.
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is a rapidly growing sector of today’s educational and professional landscape. These fields are crucial for the development of technological advancements and ongoing innovations within our society.
As the demand for STEM professionals across a variety of fields continues to grow, educational institutions are tasked with encouraging students – particularly young women – to engage in STEM studies throughout their educational journeys.
At St. Agnes Academy, we recognize that providing a top-tier STEM education to our students is crucial to their future academic and professional success. We approach this effort in two key ways:
- We integrate advanced STEM coursework into our core academic curriculum.
- We offer students a variety of STEM extracurricular activities that can help them further build competency in STEM-related concepts and skills.
Let’s discuss the importance of a STEM education and explore some examples of extracurricular activities that can help students deepen their interests in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
The Importance of STEM in Academics
STEM education is essential for preparing students for the future workforce. As technology continues to advance, the demand for skilled professionals in STEM fields will only increase.
By providing students with ample and varied opportunities to engage in STEM activities, educators can help them develop the skills and knowledge they need to stay competitive in a rapidly changing technological landscape.
At St. Agnes, we offer each student a supportive environment to develop their STEM skills and explore new interests, such as biotechnology, computer science, engineering, and more.
Through these activities, our goal is to inspire and equip the next generation of innovators, leaders, and problem-solvers while providing young women with access to robust support networks and mentor relationships to help them build confidence in their skills.
The Role of Women in STEM
Encouraging young women to pursue STEM careers is crucial for creating a diverse and inclusive workforce. St. Agnes is unique because we provide a single-sex educational environment where students can explore their interests in STEM-related fields and activities.
Our focus on STEM is particularly important because statistics show women are underrepresented in many STEM professions – despite the fact that numerous women have made significant and ongoing contributions to these fields.
By engaging young women in STEM activities, we can help bridge the gap and create a more equitable future for all. Creating a supportive environment and empowering students with the necessary tools and resources for success is critical in encouraging them to pursue their passions.
We were recently recognized for our success in this area. This year, St. Agnes earned the College Board's AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Award for expanding young women’s access to AP Computer Science Principles (CSP).
This award acknowledges 1,127 schools for their work toward equal gender representation during the 2022-23 school year. St. Agnes is one of only 834 schools to be recognized for achieving this important result in AP CSP. Congratulations to our students and staff!
STEM Extracurricular Activities Offered at St. Agnes
Let’s take a closer look at the wide range of STEM-related activities St. Agnes offers to help foster a love of STEM in our female students.
STEM Club
St. Agnes offers a wide variety of clubs and organizations that students can participate in during their high school years. STEM Club is one such student group designed specifically to provide students with a safe and supportive environment in which to explore their STEM-related interests in the presence of like-minded peers.
Spectrum Engineering Team
St. Agnes currently partners with Strake Jesuit College Preparatory – our companion all-boys school – to provide students with the chance to join Spectrum, a competitive, robotics-focused engineering team.
The award-winning Spectrum team has opportunities to design, construct, and compete with their own robotics projects in local competitions and invitationals. The team currently boasts an impressive competitive track record!
National Science Honor Society
In addition to our science clubs and teams, students with high academic track records can also apply to join the National Science Honor Society. This society recognizes and celebrates students who demonstrate dedication to and competency in the field of science.
Membership in this society not only looks great on a college application, but it can also provide an additional community within which students can develop their love and appreciation for science and science-related fields.
Middle School Summer Program
In addition to supporting our current students, we are also looking ahead to how we can help future students achieve academic success and personal satisfaction. That’s why we offer an exciting assortment of summer programming for middle schoolers/rising high schoolers.
Our current selection of summer programs includes a variety of STEM-specific sessions like “Flight School” and “STEM Spectacular,” which are designed to encourage an early love of science in young students.
AI Summer Program
We recently launched an AI summer program for high school students interested in learning more about the field of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
Participants in this program have the opportunity to learn from Stanford and MIT graduates in a hands-on, project-based education program consisting of over 31 hours of direct learning across 10 different sessions.
Learn More About STEM at St. Agnes
St. Agnes is constantly expanding our selection of STEM extracurricular activities and finding new opportunities to integrate STEM into our standard academic offerings.
Our goal is to ensure students have access to the most current educational experience throughout their high school journeys.
If you’re interested in learning more about our STEM curriculum or extracurricular offerings, contact our Student Support team today to discuss your passion for STEM!
