TechREACH
TechREACH is a free after school program that increases middle school students’ interest and confidence in science, technology, engineering and math through after school activities, a two-week summer program, mentoring, and college preparatory support. TechREACH students must commit to at least one year in the program.
TechREACH History
TechREACH began in 2003 with a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Nearly 600 Western Washington middle school girls have participated in TechREACH. Grants from the National Science Foundation and the Washington State University Center to Bridge the Digital Divide are funding the TechREACH expansion to Pasco, Sunnyside and Granger as well as creating separate clubs for boys and girls.
Why TechREACH?
The United States needs a well-trained, diverse workforce to be competitive internationally. Recommendations from "Rising above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future" (Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, 2007) show the need to enlarge the pipeline of students:
"A new generation of bright well-trained scientists and engineers will transform our future only if we begin in the 9th grade to significantly enlarge the pipeline and prepare students to engage in advanced coursework in mathematics and science."
TechREACH provides fun, supportive learning opportunities to increase the skills of underrepresented middle school students in STEM, which will lead to increased academic success at the high school and college levels.
Clubs
Pasco:
Isaac Stevens Middle School
McLoughlin Middle School
Ellen Ochoa Middle School
Pasco High School
Sunnyside:
Sierra Vista Middle School
Harrison Middle School
Sunnyside High School
Granger:
Granger Middle School
Granger High School
Wapato:
Wapato High School
Yakima:
Washington Middle School
Pasco girls design and program their LEGO NXT Robots using the software installed in these laptops, to detect and turn degrees to avoid crashing into them.
Granger boys learn how to podcast and create their own mini radio show. They were given the option to post their finished podcasts on a main podcast website provided by TechREACH.
TechREACH boys in Sierra Vista, Sunnyside, test their set of blades on their wind turbine during the "Renewable Energy curriculum. They were successful in producing the highest watts in all 14 clubs!
Sunnyside girls' TechReach club plays a short game of "Who Am I?" in a form of a warm up. Similar warm ups are used to get them out of school mode and into a fun and friendly environment.!