GEMS (Girls Exploring Math and Science) hosted a middle school outreach night for sixth, seventh and eighth grade Lake Shore and Steffen Middle School students at Homestead High School on Dec. 3 from 4-6 p.m. in the science and math wings. There were a total of 71 girls, 30 from Lake Shore and 41 from Steffen, who attended the event. All of the girls were bused in from their middle school and were then sent into the Lecture Hall to be divided into randomly selected groups before the activities began.

There were six classrooms: four science rooms, one computer science room, and a math room that all focused on different lessons or skills. All of the activities done were very fun and interactive, helping the girls to learn that math and science can be fun and understandable.

“Younger girls usually look up to high schoolers, so to see older girls like ourselves having fun with science and math will hopefully inspire them, and prove that science and math are not only ‘boy things’,” Sophie Smith, senior and co-president, said.

There were many different snacks and drinks that were given out to the girls during the event. The purpose of this event was to foster young girls’ interest in math and science at a young age, and to encourage them to explore it in high school and beyond. “This was definitely one of the most impactful GEMS events thus far, and we are excited to see how GEMS will progress,” Bethany Ford, junior, said.

Check out scenes from the event in the gallery below.

Gallery • 24 Photos

Photo by Cassie Shaurette

Physics room: Girls learn physics with Mr. Paul Sivanich as he talks about how sound travels in waves. "Oftentimes, girls in middle school are embarrassed to like science and math for a handful of reasons, so we created this event to show them not to be," Sophie Smith, senior and co-president, said.