November 21, 2024
Days before Fall Break, hundreds of Prince George County Public Schools' fifth graders across the division's five elementary campuses delved into the expansive world of technology through diverse hands-on activities during the district's annual Technology Field Day showcase.
SEE MORE PHOTOS: PGCPS on Flickr
Hosted November 14-20, 2024, Technology Field Day brings Career and Technical Education (CTE) and advanced technology educational opportunities directly to the district's elementary-aged students during interactive, day-long sessions at each of PGCPS' elementary campuses, with a mission of increasing enrollment in the division's Career and Technology Education courses and creating life-ready graduates. Programs like Technology Field Day also support the division's 2022-27 Comprehensive Plan as Prince George County Public Schools aims to introduce new pathways to expand student opportunities for Career and Technical Education courses. The initiative also supports the expectations outlined through the Virginia Department of Education's (VDOE) Profile of a Virginia Graduate and fosters an environment of deeper learning through project-based activities.
The Technology Field Day showcase moves between each elementary school during the five-day event, with fifth graders at the host school rotating through stations developed and staffed by Prince George High School CTE students, with each station focusing on the 21st-century learning skills of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, citizenship, and creativity. Each station features coding, engineering, design, and maker-based challenges, using some of the latest instructional technology tools to give students insightful and engaging experiences.
In the "Maker Space," students explored different career paths that involve emerging technologies, including 3D printing and biomedical engineering, drones and structural engineering, and robotics applications in biomedical engineering and space exploration.
To help students become creators of technology, not just consumers, the field day's programming-focused stations featured round Sphero devices that could be controlled and coded by students to complete challenges like a small maze, knocking down bowling pins, and taking part in a two-player mini-soccer match.
During their visit to Technology Field Day, the fifth graders were able to become junior engineers as they used everyday items like popsicle sticks, spoons, and rubber bands to create a catapult to launch a small ball at a target. Aiming to solve big problems, the elementary students received support and encouragement from their high school counterparts as they built their devices to score big points on a target board.
The final experience, focused on branding and marketing, featured Prince George High School DECA students leading a discussion and activities highlighting how to go about developing a personal brand, performing a proper handshake, and how to design their own shoe following a lesson on iconic brands, including Nike and Apple. The high school students also showcased hands-on manufacturing using the heat press to create Technology Field Day towels for each student during their visit to the marketing station, tying in concepts of manufacturing and entrepreneurship.
"It is important to expose our students to this ever-changing world of technology so they can figure out what they are truly interested in and start progressing through secondary school," district coordinator of career and technical education Mrs. Ashton Girolmo said. "Once they get to Moore, N.B. Clements Junior High School, and Prince George High School, they have the opportunity to select courses geared towards careers they are interested in, and this event is a way for them to get their feet wet and experience these fields. We hope that they see there are so many possibilities for them, and we hope this piques their curiosity to be willing to explore some of these new avenues."
One of the most unique aspects of Technology Field Day is blending high school students and staff as teachers during the different sessions. The collaborative teaching experience benefits the event's attendees as they can learn from staff and their peers at the high school, and it is a positive opportunity to develop soft skills like communication, critical thinking, and active listening.
Technology Field Day has been an incredibly positive experience for our high school students," Mrs. Girolmo said. "They have loved the opportunity to teach what they have been learning in class and what they are interested in, and we have really seen our student leaders shine through this program. This event also showcases some of the soft skills that all of our career and technical education classes focus on. It is built into our curriculum because it is such an essential part of our students being able to be successful after they leave us, whatever their next steps may be."
In 2023, PGCPS' Technology Field Day was recognized by the Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) through its annual Excellence in Workforce Readiness Awards. The Excellence in Workforce Readiness Awards program was created in 2018 by the VSBA Task Force on Workforce Readiness to highlight exemplary programs in Virginia's Public Schools focused on preparing the state's future workforce. The organizing committee will continue to look for ways to expand the event's offerings as Technology Field Day has quickly become an exciting part of the school year annually.
"We are always looking for opportunities to expand Technology Field Day and provide experiences that are current and relevant to students, especially those things they are currently showing interest in," Mrs. Girolmo said. "As our high school continues to expand, so do our course offerings and career pathways, which are growing as well, and we will look to tailor our event to highlight some of those programs."
For more images from Technology Field Day, visit the division's Flickr channel or Facebook page at https://facebook.com/princegeorgeschools.