The STEM upperclassman program, a class that combines science, technology, engineering and math with real-world projects, is going to tackle three projects this semester.  Ms. Rebecca Dostatni, senior STEM teacher, will have her class research basic computer coding (JavaScript), drones, and most currently, energy efficiency.

  Dostatni thinks that the energy efficiency project, which is to make a home more energy efficient, will help the students improve their understanding of STEM.

  “The Energy Efficiency project should help students to understand the technology behind innovative energy efficient techniques that are currently being developed,” Dostatni says.

  Dostatni started the project by having her class take a “Home Energy Usage” survey, which made the students think about what they are using energy for and where it is being wasted.

  “We have been looking at different ways to save energy, and even looked at examples of families who choose to live “off the grid” just to see how extreme some are willing to go to save energy,” Dostatni says.

  Right now, her students are designing homes using the website Homestyler.com.

  “We will be scaling the homes down and tweaking our design plans to include appliances and features that are energy efficient (after we research energy efficient appliances, windows, insulation, etc.),” she says.

  Dostatni’s final goal for the project is to build a model of the home that the students design.

  “We are working with Mr. Stafford to reach out to the community to obtain building materials,” she says.

  The project should take about a month, and Dostatni believes the project will help the students prepare for careers like architecture, engineering, and anything else that involves designing something. Although the students have just begun, Dostatni sees immediate interest by the students.

  “We just started the project so I can’t really say if anyone is excelling yet, but I will say that [junior] Miguel Diaz has a very nice design coming along for his home so far,”  Dostatni says.