Portsmouth Site Expands Hands-on Learning Program for Students

More than a dozen mentors volunteer their time, providing hands-on experiences featuring physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, video technology, welding and more.

In addition to Portsmouth Site volunteers, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Ohio University, Adena Health System, State Highway Patrol, and The Ohio State University Extension office partner with the program.

"By breaking down the program into smaller groups, we are able to give the students a better experience so everyone can be a part of the hands-on lessons, and the mentors have time to answer the students' questions," said Deneen Garner, STEAM Ahead co-coordinator and community relations lead with Fluor-BWXT-Portsmouth, EM's decontamination and decommissioning contractor for the Portsmouth Site.

The hands-on learning stations keep the students engaged and excited to learn, whether they use teamwork with their classmates to discover new ideas, find solutions through creativity or complete a task with newly developed skills, according to Garner.

"You can see the students are engaged with the presenters while learning and enjoying themselves," Waverly City Schools Assistant Superintendent Melissa Marquez said. "The variety of activities give the students an opportunity to explore different interests they might not normally experience."

-Contributor: Cindi Remy