Elizabeth Talbert/ The Johnsonain
On Sept. 28, Downtown Rock Hill is hosting its second annual iMAGINE STEAM Festival. It will be held at Fountain Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will also be food trucks provided during the event.
The organization, iMAGINE STEAM Festival, is a project started five years ago by the Upstate SC STEM Collaborative and is managed by South Carolina’s Coalition for Mathematics and Science at Clemson University. It has since grown, with festivals being held in Charleston, Williston, Greenville and Greenwood.
Susie Teague, one of the organizers for the iMAGINE STEAM Festival, explains the mission is, “to create meaningful experiences that promote a culture of lifelong learning and career readiness with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, innovation, and entrepreneurship for York, Lancaster & Chester Counties in South Carolina,” she said.
She also talks of why this event is important for attendees and supporters, “[It is] designed to showcase PreK-12 education and career pathways in Science, Technology, Arts, Engineering and Math … through fun, hands-on learning for families from across York, Chester and Lancaster Counties … The purpose of the festival is to ignite the interest of students in STEAM learning and career pathways,” she said.
However, all ages are encouraged to attend to support the efforts of the iMAGINE STEAM Festival organization.
Teague also explains why any form of STEAM learning is crucial, “The letters mean so much more than the acronym… It is critical for parental support as children begin pursuing their interests. At the festival, families are able to experience engaging tasks from real world business[es] [and industries] that may not otherwise be available … Together we can build a PreK-12 workforce pipeline and generate interest in high-skill industries,” she said.
Rock Hill’s event specifically is supported by Comporium, the City of Rock Hill, Old Town Rock Hill, Williams and Fudge, Duke Energy and many others.
All of the projects at the event will be interactive. These projects will include, “robots, coding, simulations, games…such as a marble machine challenge, ambulance simulator, BeeBots, catapults, Legos, etc,” Teague said.
She also talks of the key component to the success of the event, “The festival has been a major success because of the tremendous support of the community and our education and industry partners… Volunteers are critical for ensuring that the iMAGINE STEAM Festival in Rock Hill runs smoothly,” Teague said.
Winthrop is one of the many volunteer groups at the event, “Winthrop continues to serve as an amazing partner for the festival, not only providing funds to assist with sponsoring the festival but also to showcase engaging, hands-on activities for those who attend to try out while at the festival,” Teague said.
For more information about the organization, festival, and volunteering visit their website at https://www.imaginesteamsc.org.
