
It's
Saturday
morning
and
Minnieville
Elementary
School
students
are
hard
at
work
building
robots,
listening
to
guest
speakers,
and
conducting
science
experiences,
all
in
the
virtual
world.
These
enrichment
activities
began
well
before
the
pandemic
with
in-person
Saturday
field
trips
and
science
technology,
engineering,
arts,
and
math
(STEAM)
experiences
for
the
students.
It's
all
thanks
to
a
community
partner
who
donates
supplies
and
personnel
to
support
the
students'
Saturday
morning
learning
experiences.
"The
Links,
Incorporated
Old
Dominion
Chapter
started
a
National
Society
of
Black
Engineers
junior
chapter
at
our
school
three
years
ago,"
said
Deborah
Ellis,
principal
at
Minnieville
Elementary.
"They
have
been
amazing,"
she
added.
Currently,
members
of
the
community
organization
drop
off
STEAM
materials
during
the
week
before
the
Saturday
sessions.
Parents
then
come
to
the
school
to
pick
up
the
materials
so
their
child
can
participate
from
home,
virtually.
"Students
have
the
opportunity
to
provide
their
evaluations
of
each
Saturday
session,"
said
Sheila
Garnett,
a
program
co-coordinator
with
The
Links,
Incorporated
Old
Dominion
Chapter.
"The
data
collected
from
ongoing
student
evaluations
of
the
program
suggest
that
their
knowledge
and
interest
has
increased,"
she
continued.
"Our
community
partnerships
compliment
and
supplement
our
academic
curriculum
with
a
wider
range
of
services
and
activities,
particularly
enrichment
and
arts
activities,
that
are
not
available
to
students
during
the
school
day,"
said
Ellis.
"Our
community
partnerships
plant
seeds
that
will
one
day
be
harvested
and
lead
to
pursuits
of
higher
education
opportunities
and
successful
career
paths
for
our
students."
"A
natural
bond
has
formed
[between
Minnieville
and
The
Links,
Incorporated,]"
said
Garnett.
"The
partnership
is
an
opportunity
to
intersect
common
goals
for
optimal
outcomes
so
that
students
and
their
families
can
excel,"
she
said,
adding,
"We
hope
the
students
will
become
lifelong
learners
and
that
their
interest
in
STEAM
careers
continues."