PA Distance offers a variety of opportunities for students to learn about science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics topics and career paths. PA Distance core and elective classes, STEAM Hub, Community Connector Vans, and Summer Camps make these vital topics more accessible and equitable for our young learners.
Elective Courses
From computer science to art electives, our students have access to elective courses that might introduce them to a future career path in STEAM-related fields.
For example, 11th-grader Rook Fait has taken several computer science elective courses at PA Distance, including Technology, Computer Science I and Game Design. This year he is enrolled in Computer Science II, AP Computer Science Principles and a Web Technologies independent studies course.
Since then, Rook has gained real-world experience as a game developer for Roblox. As an independent contributor, he writes scripts (using the programming language called Lua) so people can play the games.
“If a student is interested in a particular career path, we offer independent studies courses to our high school students,” Rook’s school counselor for three years, Mrs. Buncic, explained. “Since Rook is set on becoming a computer scientist, we enrolled him in the web technologies course. When he came to PA Distance in 7th grade, he immediately jumped into a computer coding course.”
PA Distance students and prospective families can explore our Elementary, Middle School, and High School academic pages for more information about our STEAM-related (and all other) courses and electives.
On-Site STEAM Hub
The newest tool to help bring science, technology, engineering, art, and math to life for our students is the PA Distance STEAM Hub. The large space, located at our office in Pittsburgh, PA, has several themed rooms and common areas equipped with hands-on teaching and instructional tools. Staff have three music rooms, an A/V production room, a performance room, and a science room at their disposal.
“The STEAM Hub provides an exciting opportunity to use a variety of resources to bring learning to life, enhancing the wonderful things our teachers and staff are already doing every day,” Research & Development Coordinator Mrs. Heiles explained. “There is always room for further development and procurement of materials needed for experiments, projects, and activities.”
From robotics to performance and visual arts, the space has limitless possibilities constantly brainstormed and developed by staff.
“We have more room to be messy in the STEAM Hub,” Middle School art teacher Ms. Jordan explained. “We have a beautiful space for all of our supplies, from crayons and markers to paint, clay and fibers.”
Community Connector Vans
The three-van fleet, dubbed the Community Connectors, are designed to create strong relationships and bring unique STEAM-focused educational opportunities to the Pennsylvania towns and cities where our students live.
The three Community Connector vans—the Innovation Station, Explorer One, and Explorer Two—are all outfitted with plenty of cabinets and compartments to store materials for the PA Distance Community Engagement team as they host and attend events around the state. Each van is equipped with mobile STEAM lab kits so students, and their families, can learn about the mechanics behind simple machines during in-person events.
Summer Camps
Every year, PA Distance hosts in-person and virtual camps for students interested in keeping learning at the forefront of their summer vacations. This past summer, PA Distance science and art teachers held a traveling STEAM Building Fun Camp where students and their families participated in a variety of creative and hands-on activities at locations across the state.
Using supplied kits with building materials, they learned basic science concepts about simple machines, types of energy, and energy conversions. Young artists designed their own colorful flying kites and folded origami animals using craft paper.