STEAM Showcases Students’ Ideas for Future

As part of Lexington’s celebration of its 250th anniversary, city officials wanted to hear from our future leaders, and STEAM Academy was more than up to the task. Partnering with the 250Lex Commission, STEAM this week hosted a culminating showcase that featured myriad interactive exhibits where students shared their research and their thoughts about what makes a community strong and future-ready. 

“It started with a conversation about elevating their voice,” teacher Marty Vaughan recalled. By modeling civic engagement, the high school students were ultimately able to express their concerns, ideas, and hopes to a broad-based, well-connected audience. The semester-long effort culminated in a community event where authentic learning manifested in magical moments for teens and visitors alike. “This is tomorrow’s Lexington,” Vaughan said. “It’s about their voice and how they see the world.” 

Working with the mayor’s office and local civic and government leaders, the STEAM students had developed projects that explored Lexington’s past while imagining its future. Their cross-curricular, project-based learning prototypes and proposals spanned social health, environmental stewardship, arts, education, engineering, infrastructure, and more. 

“It’s really important to learn how to become a leader and what it means to be (an effective) one. We’re becoming the next generation,” said ninth grader Gloria Lane-Klausing. 

“The legacy of our next 250 years begins with you, and I’m confident we’re in excellent hands.” – Mayor Linda Gorton, in a video message to STEAM students

Special Guests

Mingling with the students and their families were Robbie Fletcher, the state’s education commissioner; Eunice Beatty, a 250Lex co-chair; Lu Young, vice chair of the Kentucky Board of Education; and Tyler Murphy, chair of the Fayette County Board of Education, among others.

Murphy praised the students’ work, noting they displayed analytical abilities and empathy – critical skills that will serve them well as lifelong learners and future leaders. Beatty agreed, adding, “The innovation, the thoughts, the leadership are already here in 2025.” 

Fletcher, whose remarks capped the evening, said the showcase illustrated three pillars of the Kentucky Department of Education:

• Vibrant learning
• Innovation
• Collaboration

He marveled at the excitement in the students’ voices as they described their projects, noting it illustrated “learning that is joyful, it is relevant, and it matters to me.” Fletcher encouraged the teenagers to “Keep that passion” as their futures unfold.