Schools
Convent of the Visitation Opens Science Space With Machine Shop, Robot Assembly Area
The Mendota Heights school is unveiling its new 4,000-square-foot STEM Center today. The new wing of the school is part of a two-phase, $10.5 million construction project.
Convent of the Visitation is opening today a 4,000-square-foot space (STEM).
The new wing is part of a two-phase, $10.5 million construction project and will include a classroom, a machine shop and an assembly area for the school's robotics team, according to the Pioneer Press.
"There's been a lot of thought put into it, so we know it's going to be great," Kate Azar, a Convent junior, told the paper.
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Azar and her coach Melissa Murray, a science teacher, hope the new lab space will encourage more girls to join the robotics team.
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Murray says the hands-on nature of the program is a great way to get students excited about science. "All these kids want to figure out what makes stuff work," she said.
Students from prekindergarten to 12th grade also will get a chance to use the site for science-related learning, whether it's building with Lego blocks or using drill presses.
Educators want to involve more students in STEM fields in the hope that jobs of the future will require more technical skills.
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