Giving the gift of learning and boating is what EYC Foundation’s STEM program is all about. Each year every fifth grader in the three Eastport elementary schools can come to learn about marine science and board a boat to experience the gorgeous Chesapeake Bay. For many it’s their first time on a boat, and for some a lifelong love of boating begins that day. Last year one student described his day as “magical”.
Founded in 2014, the Foundation’s STEM program partners with Anne Arundel County Public Schools bringing students to EYC to experience real life application of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) in hands-on marine specific ways.
In 2023 the program hosted 100+ students across three days with the help of 60+ volunteers.
Again this year, students will spend the morning visiting five interactive learning stations: Tides, Wind, Navigation, Mechanical Advantage and Ecosystem Health. Students learned to work with anemometers, compasses, navigation charts, mini sailboats and pulley systems. After lunch, dreams come true as students and their teachers embark on sail and power boats captained by EYCF volunteers.
While living on a peninsula, many of these students are underrepresented youth and have never accessed the water. We give them that chance. Motivating and supporting diverse and underrepresented youth is a big part of what EYCF is all about.
Help give a child a “best day of my life”
The STEM on the Water program is chaired by Nadine Chien and Meghan Hryniewicz
Reach them at: [email protected]
© 2024 Eastport Yacht Club Foundation, Inc.
