Stagecoach Elementary School teacher Elaina Fein’s third-grade class recently received 12 Hess trucks along with the Hess toy truck STEM curriculum guide to use as classroom STEM learning tools. The award of the trucks and curriculum guide was the result of Ms. Fein’s successful application to a program sponsored by the Hess Corporation and the Baylor College of Medicine promoting the educational use of toys.
“STEM is vital in our early learners’ education. It incorporates critical thinking, collaboration, and analysis which are vital in the real-world contexts of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics,” said Shaun Rothberg, Principal of Stagecoach Elementary School. “Exposing our students to STEM early in their education better prepares them for success throughout the educational and life journey.”
The Hess Corporation and Baylor College of Medicine sponsor the STEM Educational Outreach Program which offers free learning kits that include the Hess toy trucks and the STEM curriculum guide. This year the program gave away up to 1,000 STEM kits.
“Our third-grade students were excited to receive the toy trucks and to explore the principals of speed, velocity, and friction related to driving, racing, and track design,” said Ms. Fein. “Thank you to the Hess Corporation and the Baylor College of Medicine!”