The San Diego Unified School District held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) lab at Millennial Tech Middle School Wednesday morning, where district leaders highlighted their plan for equity.
“I know, in this community, we have our future scientists, our future researchers and the future students that will help lead us through this in a very beautiful way,” said Superintendent Fabiola Bagula.
Millennial Tech Middle School, located in the southeastern region of the city in the Chollas View neighborhood, serves a student population that is nearly 89% socioeconomically disadvantaged, according to the California School Dashboard.
The STEAM Climate Action Design Lab will combine learning, sustainability and innovation, said Principal Nicola Labas. She said the lab will be an extension of students’ hands-on learning.
She said students are learning how to grow food and bring it back to the classroom as a way of learning culinary science. The students have hands-on learning opportunities from the Earth Lab Climate Action Park, and that learning will extend into the new design lab.
“These experiences empower our students to see themselves as as scientists, as engineers and as leaders today and for the future,” Labas said.
Some of the students from the middle school piloted their drones at the press conference by navigating them through an obstacle course. The drones were built and programmed by students. Next year, the students will have an opportunity to learn how to use underwater drones.
“This is the place you want to be,” said Trustee Sharon Whitehurst-Payne, whose district includes Millennial Tech Middle, after the press conference.
The kids in the community have spoken about their own concerns for the environment, said Bagula after the press conference. She said students are especially concerned about flooding. In the news conference, Bagula said that flooding had devastated families in the community last year.
“Thinking about, like, what might we do about this?” she said after. “So, what I love is that they still have that hope.”
Whitehurst-Payne said that the students at the school are not just sitting around talking about issues in a way where nothing comes of it.
“They are definitely on board with, ‘How can I help?’” she said.
Bagula said their goal is for students who graduate from San Diego Unified to be college- and career-ready. She said that middle school is where students start to build their identities.
“I think we need to take that seriously and offer them a plethora of, like, try to discover yourself,” she said. “Like, what can we potentially do? What’s your contribution? How does your voice matter?”