Cardinal Valley hosts Science Night for Hispanic families
Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Thursday, October 16, 2008
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Jose Caloca, a fourth-grader at Cardinal Valley Elementary, cuts out the parts for his toy glider during Science Night.
Styrofoam trays and emery boards were the tools at hand for budding young engineers busy building airplanes on Science Night at Cardinal Valley Elementary School. The kids used sharp pencils and templates to mark the plane’s outline before cutting out and smoothing the parts of their toy gliders.
Wednesday evening's hands-on activity was part of Noche de Ciencias, an informational showcase designed to raise awareness among Hispanic students about higher education opportunities and careers in the science, technology, engineering and math fields.
“One of the things I hope families will gain is to broaden their horizons about the careers their children can pursue,” principal Ivonne Beegle said. “We’re trying to prepare our kids to be competitive globally in the next 15 years.”
Science Night was organized by the Kentucky Bluegrass Professional Chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. Members led sessions about college preparation and financing, and offered projects for the children, including bilingual activity books and rubber band cars. Parent sessions were conducted in both English and Spanish.
SHPE member Nicholas Martinez went over the basics of choosing a college and paying for it. Academic reputation, location and campus climate were among the factors he said families should consider. And he talked about the wide range of college price options, from two-year local trade schools to out-of-state private universities.
Martinez also walked parents through the process of planning for their children’s college education, from signing up for the SAT or ACT, building their portfolios with letters of recommendation and high school transcripts, and applying for financial aid.
“Our Noche de Ciencias events taking place during Hispanic Heritage Month embody what we as an organization are all about,” said Diana Gomez, national president of SHPE Inc., “reaching out to our Hispanic community to encourage, inspire and equip a new generation to pursue their interests in math, science, engineering and technology through higher education.”