Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School Introduces STEAM Programs

This September, Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School in East Elmhurst introduced a variety of STEAM initiatives into the curriculum, with exciting programs and speakers to come in January. Some of the new initiatives at the Queens Catholic school include the integration of the robotics club and the computer coding class, which will include teaching the students to design and code mobile apps.

The students of Monsignor McClancy's robotics club recently built an entire robot from scratch. The students in the coding class will be programming said robot. The school plans to integrate more coding into the curriculum, including teaching students how to code their own apps in the new year.

"Usually, science is based in labs. The idea is to extend practical skills and integrated investigations into other areas, such as our new freshman 'mathlab'," says Monsignor McClancy science teacher and STEAM Coordinator Ann Smith. "We're doing everything we can to help our kids."

The STEAM approach aims to benefit a wide array of students with different learning approaches through both textbook work and hands-on activities.

During the first week of January, students will partake in an actual excavational dig while learning about paleontology. The school received a box of soil matrix from an excavation site in the Midwest, and students will dig for 55-60-million-year-old fossils, which will be catalogued and sent back to the North Dakota dig site. By integrating STEAM and learning how to use the proper equipment, students will not only have a valuable learning experience, but will be exposed to potential future career paths, according to Smith.

The exposure to potential future careers is important to Monsignor McClancy, so the staff has invited various graduate speakers to come in and speak to the students. One McClancy graduate and doctoral student, Matthew Miller, will be coming in to speak with the AP Biology class about protein folding. He will also speak to the chemistry classes about careers in chemistry.

Another graduate is an aviator pilot for the Army and he will speak to the students about the physics of flight as well as meeting a McClancy senior, Megan, who will be joining the AirForce after graduation. 

Image: Monsignor McClancy Memorial AP Environmental Science students participating in Operation Splash, a volunteer organization committed to improving the quality of Long Island’s shores, in September. (Left to right) Alessandro Cicco, Brittany Stenz, Megan Heerey, Francesca Sikorski, and Shakira Padilla.

Courtesy Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School 

Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School
71-06 31st Ave., East Elmhurst
718-898-3800
msgrmcclancy.org