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Four senior education students from ��ɫtv at Mansfield are spending their summer teaching youth about science and art, at military bases around the country.

Makena Northcutt, Mikayla Russ, Jasmine Boyce and Star Griffin are traveling to Air Force bases as far away as California, to teach youth ages 9-18 about the importance of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics – also known as STEAM.

Employed through the  program, the four college seniors received formal training in May and have since held camps at military bases in North Dakota; Colorado, Nebraska and Oklahoma. Later this summer, they will teach at bases in Texas and California.

The weeklong sessions teach students the basics of STEAM, with hands-on activities that include animal dissection, building a small-scale paper rollercoaster and a DNA experiment using strawberries and chemicals – all designed to get the youth thinking, creating and collaborating.

“Each day it’s a different type of science,” said Mikayla. “Biology, engineering, coding for robots plus science-affiliated games known as STEAM challenges. We have a big game activity that we start with, where they can learn in a kid-friendly way.”

How it works

The student teachers are divided into pairs, with Mikayla and Makena focusing on North Dakota, Colorado and California, while Jasmine and Star are deployed to Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.

One of the first projects students are tasked with is to build the foundation for a mini roller-coaster, capable of transporting a marble from start to finish, through twists, turns and drops, without falling off the track.

“This project allows them to be creative and use their own curiosity to create a final product,” said Makena. “By the end of the week, they have a rollercoaster competition and it’s so much fun to watch them compete. Some students even decorate their rollercoasters and give them names.”

The youth live near the military bases where the STEAM classes are held, and some of their parents are stationed at the same bases. Students are divided into two age groups, 9-12, and 12-18, and are among five other teams of student teachers in the country, providing the same service. 

Rewarding experience

The student teachers say they’ve enjoyed getting to teach students from other parts of the country, and getting to explore places they’ve never been.

“Ever since I started thinking about my future career, I imagined myself going from place to place, teaching and connecting with students in different communities,” said Star. “Getting to explore new places I’ve never been while also doing something I love has been such a blessing. It’s helped me step outside my comfort zone, grow as an educator and really see how powerful hands-on learning can be.”

Mikayla and Makena said some of their favorite sightseeing places so far are the Rocky Mountains, Denver Aquarium and the Red Rocks Amphitheatre. This was Mikayla’s first time on a plane, and the first time she and Northcutt had visited Colorado.

“It’s so pretty that it brings tears to your eyes,” said Makena.

Some of Jasmine and Star’s favorite visits include the natural beauty in Nebraska, botanical gardens and the riverwalk in Oklahoma City, hiking through caverns in San Antonio, Warner Bros. Studios in California and spending time at the beach.

While the program is not officially affiliated with ��ɫtv, it’s still a great opportunity for education students to practice teaching in front of diverse groups of youth.

“It’s really nice to get this experience of teaching on our own, and then go right into student teaching back in Ohio, after we’re done with this project,” said Jasmine. “We are gaining experience that will help us in our next steps as teachers.”

As it turns out, some of the youth have travelled to more places than their teachers. 

“A lot of these kids have a lot of life experiences,” said Mikayla. “They’ve traveled abundantly, they’ve been to different places and they’ve met a lot of diverse people, often because their parents are involved in the military.”

Unique experience

All four student teachers say their time at Mansfield empowered them to do things they probably wouldn’t have experienced at a larger college.

“The opportunities I’ve had here, feel like are so much more than I would have received elsewhere,” said Mikayla. “I’m so happy with my decision to start at Mansfield my freshman year of college, because without it, I wouldn’t be where I am right now.”

According to Makena, they each “intentionally” chose to finish their degrees at Mansfield and are happy with the decision.

“We could have all transferred to Columbus, but we all chose to be here because of the opportunities,” she said. “There’s so many more opportunities.”

Mansfield is a welcoming place, according to Star, who moved here from Akron.

“Coming from an inner‑city background into a slower‑paced town was a big adjustment,” she said. “But the people at ��ɫtv Mansfield really helped me step out of my comfort zone. They supported me, encouraged me, and opened doors to opportunities I know I wouldn’t have gotten at another university.”

Forming bonds

Along with learning more about people from different parts of the country, the student teachers are also learning a lot about each other.

As part of their last assignment, Northcutt and Russ will complete their program in California, on Friday, Aug. 22, and then drive 30-plus hours back to Ohio to begin their student teaching experience in Richland County, the following week.

“We’re going to get back on that Friday and then start student teaching on Monday,” said Northcutt. “It will be a bit of a whirlwind weekend, but we are making a difference for these kids and making memories that will last a lifetime.”

To learn more about the We are Camps Program, visit . To learn more about the education program at ��ɫtv Mansfield, visit mansfield.osu.edu