Four second-grade classrooms at Churchville Elementary School hosted special visitors from the Rochester chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC 314) on January 30. The professional group, whose members include architects, lawyers, tradespeople, and contractors, were on hand to help students participate in the national NAWIC Block Kids building competition.
“Our school has become very involved in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) and innovative makerspace activities,” said CES teacher Jennifer Brush. “These projects empower students to take charge, think outside the box, develop a plan and work towards a goal. Our teachers collaborate regularly. We all love the chance to bring in great community resources, like NAWIC, that can help us expand learning opportunities for our students.”
The Grade 2 teaching team, Rebecca Kohlman, Stacy Ruby, Jacqueline Smith, and Brush, along with district STEM coaches, Andrea Lynch, Kathryn Jensen, and Megan Hugg, joined NAWIC volunteers, including President Melissa Wentland, Kayla Pliszka, Jenna Stundtner, Beth Lifka, Rebekah Warner, and others, in explaining the challenge to the second-graders. Each student was given a bag of colorful building blocks, a small rock, a string, and a piece of aluminum foil. They had 45 minutes to design and build something unique.
What took shape from all these young imaginations were fanciful creations related to construction, including wrecking balls and cranes, corporate building signage, boats, warehouses, or high-rise apartments. Each student explained their thought process to a volunteer. Judges determined one winner from each class and a school champion who will go on to the regional Block Kids competition.
Making connections within the community for the benefit of students is important within the Churchville-Chili school district. To learn more about NAWIC, visit http://www.nawicrochester.org/. For more information about the Block Kids competition, visit https://nef-edu.org/block-kids-building-competition/.
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