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Middle School, Public Schools, STEM, Success Stories
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SmartLab Students Recognized by State Legislature for STEM Projects

Written by Bill Laurienti

SmartLab Students Recognized by State Legislature for STEM ProjectsStudents from James Hart Middle School in Homewood District 153 were celebrated in the Illinois state capitol last week!

Students Aaron Latman, Jessica Lyseng and Ellie Wojcikowski, along with their SmartLab Facilitator Cheri Pesina, were invited to present STEM projects at the Tech 2018 Illinois program.

Latman demonstrated a robotic elephant. Wojcikowski designed a house using CAD software and then printed a 3D model. Lyseng shared an interactive skeleton she built and programmed to help teach kids anatomy.

“James Hart stole the show in Springfield with their original technology projects,” said Pesina. “They wowed the legislators who stopped by the booth.”

Representative Thaddeus Jones of Calumet City even recognized the students and their Facilitator on the floor of the Illinois House later that day.

Congratulations to the students and staff at James Hart Middle School. The state-wide recognition of your SmartLab STEM program is well deserved!

Learn more in the Homewood-Flossmore Chronicle. 

Bill.Laurienti
Bill Laurienti

Bill Laurienti is a Content Marketing Specialist at Creative Learning Systems. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education (English) from Colorado Mesa University and a Master of Arts in Secondary Teaching from the University of California's Rossier School of Education. Bill came to CLS after 10 years in the secondary classroom. He believes SmartLabs are important tools for engaging unengaged students and helping them access careers they might not otherwise have imagined.

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