HIGH POINT, N.C., June 3, 2015 – More than 120 first-grade students from Montlieu Academy of Technology enjoyed a day of Lego activities on June 1 at High Point University while third through fifth-graders from their school took end-of-grade tests.
The Montlieu Academy students took a field trip to HPU for an interactive, fun and educational morning hosted by the the School of Education. Dr. Shirley Disseler, assistant professor of education, and fifth-year STEM graduate students in the School of Education’s master’s program led them in Lego activities such as MoreToMath, Simple Machines and Story Starter. They also enjoyed lunch on campus and a movie in the Extraordinaire Cinema.
“The High Point University Come Build With Us program goal is to ignite the mind one brick at a time,” says Disseler. “Bringing these children from Montlieu to HPU for Lego Day gives them an opportunity to see that math and literacy can be more than paper and pencil.”
“When I grow up I want to become a teacher, so I love being able to make robots and different things with Legos while learning about math and English,” says Anugrah Ranapahelee, first-grade student at Montlieu Academy.
High Point University holds numerous events for Montlieu Academy students throughout the year, such as the Fall and Spring Carnival for students who work hard in the classroom and tree planting for N.C. Arbor Day.
“I am grateful for our wonderful partnership with the university and the opportunity to bring my students to campus so often,” says Kristin Gregory, first-grade teacher at Montlieu Academy and HPU alumna. “It is nice to show these kids that there is something beyond elementary, middle and high school. These children have grand dreams and I tell them every day, ‘you can do that.’ When they visit HPU they see that this is where they want to go to fulfill those dreams.”
HPU hosts Lego field trips for local schoolchildren throughout the year. The university also holds community Lego days as well as Lego teacher academies. During these events, thousands of children and adults visit campus for a hands-on, fun experience that promotes teamwork, creativity and exposure to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The events also help undergraduate and graduate students in the HPU School of Education gain valuable experience and feedback in teaching techniques and classroom management.
HPU will hold its first STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) camp June 26 – July 3 for ages 8 – 11. You can request an application by emailing Disseler at [email protected].