Programs prove that science can be fun, as well as a great way to explore the world of imagination.

Celia Jiménez here, thinking about the inventive projects that over a dozen middle school students presented at El Sausal Middle school on Friday night during the Salinas Union High School District’s Expo for the Migrant Education Program. 

“There’s things I’ve never seen before and I’ve been doing this for 25 years,” says Curt Gabrielson, director at the Salinas Community Science Workshop in East Salinas. 

As part of this program, middle school students learn about motors, electricity and magnetism, and use these concepts to construct their final projects. Some made cars, spinning and swinging devices, or boats that were powered with water—even a drone. All were made with materials easily found in the home, such as recycled plastic, cardboard, glue, paint and batteries. 

Migrant students move with their parents to different counties and states following the harvest. Such instability forces children to adapt quickly to new classmates and teachers throughout the year, and it can put them behind compared to other students. 

To make sure migrant students aren’t left behind, school districts including SUHSD offer programs year-round to help students keep up with their studies. One of these programs is the summer Migrant Education Program, where these students learn math and science, as well as literacy in English and Spanish. 

This summer was a little different than previous years. “The big change this summer was it was all hands-on,” Gabrielson says. 

From day one, students collected tools and materials and began working on science projects. It was full of hands-on engineering. Alexandra Tinoco, 13, from La Paz Middle School, was one the students who participated at the expo. She constructed a small car from cardboard. It had operational lights and the vehicle rolled thanks to an internal ventilator. Tinoco designed a multicolor vehicle: “It was supposed to look different, but it broke several times,” Tinoco says in Spanish. 

I asked her what she learned from this project. She said she learned a lot about not giving up. Laughing, she explains that she tried—and failed—at least seven times before managing to make her car move. 

The students presented their projects and discussed the concepts and how the device they made worked. “All the families were gathered around to look at the projects and listen to their kids explain what they had learned,” Gabrielson says, adding that this part is critical because kids should learn how to express themselves and explain what they did to others. 

The SCSW has had a very successful first year at El Sausal Middle School and will continue to offer after school programs like STEM Girl—to get more girls interested in STEM classes—and class visit programs. Class visits expanded from three to five schools and now serves students from Alisal Union and Salinas City elementary school districts. The program brings students from fourth through sixth grades into a workshop where they can explore school science projects. 

The SCSW is also looking to create a mobile science room to bring science directly to kids. That project is still in the works, but Gabrielson says he hopes it will be ready for the upcoming school year. 

One aspect that I really like about SCSW is that it makes science easy and approachable—something many of us don’t associate with that particular area of study. If you want to learn more about SCSW, or make a donation, visit cswsalinas.org.

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