In September, Athens State University announced the STEAM Roller, an initiative to address educational needs and expand education opportunities in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics to underserved youth in Limestone County.

On Tuesday, latchkey students at the iAcademy at Athens Elementary School had the opportunity to be the pilot students for this program.

Director of the Athens State Center for Lifelong Learning Andrew Dollar and Athens Middle School teacher Chancey Gregg led a gravity lesson for students where each student had the opportunity to create and test a parachute to take home with them.

“We have developed a collegial relationship with Andrew, and he thought it’d be great to get our kids engaged with STEM activities,” said iAcademy Principal Amanda Tedford.

Students were not only taught a valuable and engaging lesson about gravity, but were also encouraged in their dreams.

“Are there things you want to do, or do you have dreams? Do you have goals? Yeah, so everything starts small, right? You start small; I started small. We all prove our dreams and goals grow, our ideas grow, our plans, all kinds of things,” said Gregg.

Much like how they needed to care for their tissue paper parachutes, Gregg also reminded students to care for their dreams.

“We want to be careful with our dreams,” said Gregg.

Dollar admired Gregg’s work with the students saying, “Chancey is a rockstar. She has such a passion for STEM related activities and can instantly captivate a room. She has been writing the curriculum for us.”

As the program continues, they hope that each lesson will provide students with a tangible object to take home with them.

For more information about the initiative, email andrew.dollar@athens.edu