STEAM Rises: PVC Girls Advance their Skills and Interest in STEAM at the Hudson Valley Girls Rock STEAM Conference

In the immortal words of Beyonce: Who runs the world? Girls! And Croton girls are no exception. 

38 PVC girls, chaperoned by sixth- and seventh-grade teachers Jennifer Rescigno and Tracey Finan, took a day from their weekend to attend the Hudson Valley Girls Rock STEAM Conference at Arlington High School. There, they delved into STEAM activities and explored their interests. 

According to the National Girls Collaborative Project, although women comprise nearly 50% of the workforce, they hold only 28% of science and engineering occupations. Additionally, women earn only 18% of all computer science degrees in the United States.

The conference aspires to mitigate the gender gap in STEAM educational opportunities for women by engaging local educators, business people, artists, and other community members to guide its programs. The girls were buzzing with excitement as they delved into the activities, eager to learn and discover new things.

Upon catching up with some of the students who attended the event, each one was able to quickly recall their favorite activity. Nolan learned about the event through Girl Scouts, where she enjoys doing STEAM projects. She was fascinated - and proud of being bold enough  - to dissect a cow eyeball, learning that it is the most similar to a human.

At another biology-focused station, Annabel learned about the digestive system of owls. She was amazed to learn that owls regurgitate pellets to get rid of their waste, which left her feeling inspired to learn more about how the digestive system works.

Maggie was fascinated by the thrill of learning something new. She recently tried a physics-based activity called "Magic Inertia" and discovered her hidden talent in magic! Meanwhile, Sophie learned more about herself as she created a DNA necklace using her saliva.

First-time attendees knew they were part of something special. For Violet, this was her first STEAM event anywhere, and she was glad she came saying that she enjoys discovering new things, which was part of why she found the event so appealing. Collectively, the girls also commented about how much they appreciated going to this type of event with their friends and that they enjoyed the time together.

Ms. Finan and Ms. Rescigno are both enthusiastic supporters of the conference, having attended for the last few years. They recognize the importance of developing an interest in STEAM, particularly among girls, early in their educational journey. 

“We love attending this event because it allows students to learn about the many facets of STEAM and we hope this inspires many to go on to take related subjects in high school and beyond,” said Ms. Rescigno.