Hello Supporters,

My name is Jessica Samson-Ball, and for over two decades I have taught science and inspired numerous students to go into STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers. I have a diverse background in education. With formal teaching experience in the public school system, as well as expertise gained from working at a zoo, a 4-H center, a state park, and a college, I can make difficult concepts easy to understand and engaging. My mission is to make science accessible and exciting for all learners.

I want to start a non-profit to offer STEM programs to students throughout middle Georgia. Recently, I participated in STEM nights at 2 schools, and I loved seeing students and their families so enthusiastic about learning. Several families asked me if there were other STEM events they could attend and how they could find STEM opportunities for their children. Unfortunately, due to time constraints not all the attendees had a chance to experience all the activities. I felt bad at both events because the school coordinator had to ask the people in line and who were currently viewing my booth to leave because the event was over.

I want to plan and offer STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) Days in 5 communities in the middle Georgia area. My vision is to offer a STEAM Day in each community from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on a Saturday where families can come and participate in hands-on STEAM activities and labs. I plan to have one booth that has information for parents so that they can incorporate simple STEAM activities at home and help their children develop higher order thinking skills. I also want to have a booth dedicated to helping families learn about the STEM contests their children can participate in and the STEM scholarships available. Overall, I want students to see how fun STEM can be and hopefully inspire students to think about STEM careers.

I also want to offer STEM afterschool programs where I can incorporate labs and help students enter STEM contests and science fairs. Labs are crucial because they are hands-on, allow students to collaborate, and incorporate important skills such as problem solving. Implementing labs is challenging when resources are lacking. Lab equipment and kits are expensive, as a result, many K-8 students in the area have not had very many lab experiences in their classes.

As a former high school science teacher, I always asked students on the first day who liked science. I was disheartened when the majority of students said they did not like science because it was hard and boring. I then asked what they did in their previous science classes. Unfortunately, most said that between kindergarten and eighth grade, they completed hardly any labs. I recently subbed for a 7th grade science class and was told by the teachers that they don’t do labs. This is not the first time I have been told this and yet I was still shocked.

Science should be a fun class. My students at public Title-I schools outperformed students at higher ranked public schools and private schools on state and AP tests in part because I incorporated labs and hands-on activities into every unit. I understand that budgets are tight and implementing labs can be time consuming for teachers, but I believe that labs are imperative for fostering curiosity and a love of science.

My goal is to offer labs at least once a month after school at local elementary and middle schools. I want to help students gain confidence in their skills, improve academically, and see that science can be exciting. Research has shown that students performed better in reading and math on their state assessments in elementary schools that incorporated authentic science learning with labs.

I need funding to help me become a non-profit, purchase lab supplies, organize STEAM Days, and implement after school lab days. Becoming a non-profit would allow me to apply for grants which could help make this a sustainable outreach business. As a teacher, I applied for and was awarded several grants, which is how I was able to offer so many labs to my students. I am confident that if I had the time and resources to get this business up and running, I would be able to secure grants to keep it going. I hope that you will choose to donate and facilitate STEM programs for families in middle Georgia. Please help me give students access to labs and hands-on learning.