Best of the Week 2020-2021: Teaching to the Future

ST. ED'S LAUNCHES ITS THIRD SEASON OF THE YOUNG INNOVATORS' INSTITUTE

With a virtual twist, St. Ed's hosts its annual Young Innovators' Institute for the third year, engaging with sixth and seventh graders throughout an online, multi-week design challenge. This Wednesday kicked off this year's innovative challenge, introducing students to the building and design process of the engineering cycle. St. Ed's supplied each participant with a Young Innovators' kit, complete with laser cut pieces of cardboard, an Arduino, a pre-wired breadboard, and multiple potentiometers, wires, and motors to build their own robotic arm. Setting up for next week's programming and wiring lesson, Engineering & Technology Department Chair JC Froelich '08 and Computer Programming teacher Anthony Mortimer teamed up to engage students in the design process to ultimately set them up for success going into the next portions of the challenge that will focus on film and entrepreneurship. After prototyping, producing, marketing, and pitching their daring new products at the end of the challenge, the winning team of the Young Innovators' Institute: Season 3 will win a cash prize of $500. Designed to empower young makers to become better listeners and open-minded creators, the Young Innovators' Institute encourages students to become resilient in the face of failure, and to realize that good relationships are at the heart of solving meaningful problems.