Richmond educators working to inspire more girls to go into STEM fields

RICHMOND, Va. -- Developing a love of STEM fields can lead to limitless career opportunities.

But those fields are dealing with an under-representation from women.

That’s why administrators at Orchard House School in Richmond are hoping their female students become STEMINISTS.

"Girls and science? Learning?”, says science teacher Jennifer Brookman. “Oh my goodness gracious!"

"Fifth graders are working on the interplay of art and math”, says administrator and teacher Penn Ward. “Sixth graders are doing woodworking and engineering. Seventh graders in the backyard here are doing robotics and coding."

Student Skye Simon is loving it! “It was like my childhood dream to build a robot."

"There's still a lag in terms of the representation of women in STEM”, says Ward. “So for them to be able to see all the different possibilities is really important. Especially when they can see it's not a whiteboard with a monster math problem."

"Getting girls curious and interested in STEM fields where we're underrepresented anyway, hopefully it grows”, says Brookman. “It starts here”.

Rockets, robots, and ripsaws.

"The best thing this week has been when they realize that they're capable of doing something they did not imagine they could ever do", says Ward.

Building a love of STEM… is Building Better Minds.

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