Cheatham's STEM/Book Bus completes another summer tour

In spite of Sahara-level heat and the hovering threat of rain, there was still a big turnout Wednesday at Burns Park in Kingston Springs for the next-to-last stop on Cheatham County's STEM/Book Bus tour.

“It only sprinkled a little, and it never was too hot,” reported program chief Chris Cooper, who serves as the district’s STEAM/CTE coordinator. “We had people attending pretty much all day.”

Beginning June 4 in Ashland City and ending June 27 in Pleasant View, the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) bus focused on four educational themes – career, agriculture, aerospace and engineering/architecture – with a total of 11 stops in the various school districts. This was the third year for the program.

For the engineering/architecture segment, the emphasis was on building things. “We put out 'Task Cards' for the students,” Cooper explained. “Of course we have the original Lego pamphlets that have [building] instructions. We also have some free-play Legos with which they could build, for example, a monument from a picture we gave them, using their own imaginations.”

The district's STEAM/CTE Coordinator Chris Cooper helps a student build with legos while the STEM/Book Bus visited Burns Park on June 26 for "engineering/architecture" week. / CCSD

Career week brought out firefighters, paramedics and members of the National Guard, along with their vehicles and equipment.

For agriculture week, teachers from the county's three high schools tapped into their Future Farmers of America membership to demonstrate. “Students got to plant seeds and play with animals,” Cooper said. “We had a horse shoeing demonstration at one of the schools.”

During aerospace week, students made paper airplanes and helicopters and launched rockets.

The school district's STEM/Book Bus made its final stop in Kingston Springs on June 26 with a focus on "engineering/architecture." / Edward Morris

The bus is a multipurpose vehicle, with the front being a STEM section in which students can engage in building and other hands-on activities. In the back of the bus is the reading zone with comfortable seating. There students can browse for books to read and keep. “We have thousands of books to give away,” Cooper said. “We probably have another two or three summer's worth of books.”

The bus travels with a core team of four staffers, plus a driver and six to eight volunteers.

Cooper estimated the tour attracted 500 to 600 attendees this season. “Most of the students that show up are from elementary and middle school,” he said, “and there are even younger ones than that – from pre-K and kindergarten.”

Free lunches, which are available to all attendees, are prepared in advance and picked up from the participating schools the morning of each stop.

While there has not been a formal study made of the tour's educational impact, Cooper has no doubts about its value. “It's been great,” he said. “It's grown every summer. The kids are engaged, they're learning and they get free books.”

Cooper also headed the district’s inaugural Summer STEM Institute that took place June 10-13, which he noted was an “overall success.”  

“The Summer STEM Institute has been in the planning stages for the past two years,” Cooper said. “Smaller one day events on the weekends were a primer for participation and what was a very successful Summer STEM Institute this summer.” 

During the district's summer STEM Institute, the southern cluster of K-8 students attended Harpeth Middle School and participated in activities like launching rockets for the "Mission to Mars" theme. / CCSD

The southern cluster of rising 3-8 grade students attended Harpeth Middle School. The camp’s theme was “Mission to Mars.” 

“More than 140 students from across the school district participated in the Summer STEM Institute,” Cooper said. “Students built rovers, rockets, remote habitats, and designed mission plans as well as studied Mars. The district will continue to offer the Summer STEM Institute with a different theme each summer going forward.”