ATHOL — This fall, Laura Gesner is going from a class of 22 to a class of 600.

Gesner, a teacher at Athol Community Elementary School (ACES), has been hired to lead its new STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) program. It’s a new addition to the curriculum at ACES, and Gesner said teaching this to younger students is essential as they get older and encounter similar programs in middle and high school. In recent years, schools across the country have adopted some version of STEAM or STEM (science, technology, engineering or math) programs.

“It opens up the realm to so many careers in the future,” she said. “Just creating that passion for learning and education is something that I feel like could be improved on.”

When asked about her goal for the program, Gesner hopes to teach effective problem-solving utilizing the Engineering Design Process (EDP), which encourages open-ended solutions and encourages students to learn from setbacks.

Gesner said the EDP utilizes different approaches until a solution is found. She added that the process can be never-ending, as there is always a new solution. This can apply to a scientific hypothesis or social issues, such as disagreements with friends.

“If they are having a problem with a friend, they need to try different things,” she said.

All students at ACES will be taking part in the program, meaning that Gesner will be working with 600 children across 27 classes. She said it’s a daunting change, but she’s made a practice to get to know as many students at ACES as possible.

“Building those relationships has been an integral part of my education career,” she said.

What the students will study will differ year to year. For example, kindergartners might learn about animals, while the studies for first-graders may focus on light and sound. Robotics and coding are other subjects she hopes to pursue in the program. To help, she joined some Facebook groups dedicated to STEM and STEAM to see what other teachers are doing.

“The younger years are so important developmentally,” Gesner said. “There’s lots of conversations that kindergarten through third grade are crucial developmental years for them.”

One challenge has been getting the needed supplies for all the classes. Gesner said the materials for STEAM programs are all consumable, meaning that they can only be used once. To that end, she’s put together an Amazon wish list entitled, “Miss Gesner’s classroom wish list,” which includes Play-Doh, wooden craft sticks, construction paper and aluminum foil. She said the response has been great.

“I’m looking at the table full of materials for the kids and it’s been incredible,” she said.

Science has been a love of Gesner’s for years. In college she was an education major and took several science classes. While a teacher at ACES, she’d don a lab coat during the last week of school to become ‘Dr. G,’ and lead Mad Science Week for the students, doing experiments involving how neon lights work or how sound vibrations travel. It’s been a popular end to the school year for the past decade, and one former student asked if she’d continue it with the STEAM program.

“They’re (the students) extremely excited for it every year,” Gesner said.

Max Bowen can be reached at 413-930-4074 or at mbowen@recorder.com.

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