Students Focus on STEM in a Fun-Packed Week at YCIS Pudong

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) are all subject areas that are highly valued in the modern world today and are also of the utmost importance to the Secondary curriculum at YCIS. It is for this reason that YCIS Pudong recently celebrated the values of STEM subjects in their annual ‘STEM Week’.

The activities organised for STEM Week revolved around the core STEM subject areas, and in addition to being mentally stimulating and physically challenging, the week’s events were fun and memorable. Activities included code breaking, mathematical problem solving, scavenger hunts, a marathon relay, a building challenge, as well as a STEM-themed dress-up day.

Expertise was shared and developed throughout the week, with students gaining knowledge in the various subject areas. The week began with a computer-science-themed scavenger hunt, which tested mental and physical speed and agility. This was followed by a paper airplane making competition which produced some clever engineering marvels. Year 6 and 7 students joined forces to build fantastic structures using household materials like barbecue sticks and marshmallows, enabling them to discover just how difficult it can be to keep a structure standing. Later in the week, students representing Years 7-13 took part in a marathon relay, with 14 runners attempting to complete a continuous relay around the school’s athletics track for a total distance of 42.195km, with the aim of beating the incredible 2:01:39 record time set by Eliud Kipchoge. In the end, the students completed the distance in a very competitive 2:27:01. Throughout the relay, another group of students recorded the biometric data of the runners for analyses by our sports scientists in future classes. At the end of the week, students also engineered some inventive group costumes representing various STEM principles. Alongside this, other groups of students worked together to crack codes and solve mathematical problems, which required serious focus and teamwork.

 

Most young people entering the workforce in today’s world are required to possess more technological knowledge than previous generations. With the rise of computers, smartphones, social media, and the internet, YCIS students begin learning about and with the aid of technology from a young age. Being equipped with technological skills and experience benefits our students upon their graduation. The combination of mental and physical activities, as well as the range of activities presented, gave the students an insight into the breadth of STEM and an inclination of where their studies might take them in the future.