Joey's NYLF: Explore STEM Trip

My husband and I received a very surpising letter the last week of September.  The letter stated that Joey's 5th grade teacher nomitated him to attend the National Youther Leadership Forum (NYLF): Explore STEM program for middle school students in the summer of 2018.  This is a 6 day program is held at 10 colleges across the country.  

This program started in in 1985 and 800,000 students have gone though it.  The program employs similation workshops, site vists, hands on projects and is interactive.  It is not a typical classroom learning activiy.

Joey will have a chance to:
·  use VEX robotics
· To learn computer programming and theory
· Participate in a forensic science lab (including processing finger prints, tire tracks, foot prints and blood stains)
· learn critical care skills (such as conducting a physical exam, administering splints and slings and controlling external hemorrhaging)
· Use CAD software
· Hear from a former NASA astronaut

Excerpt from the letter we received:

"The program curriculum brings STEM to life, in a way that no textbook can, as the students plan for a “Mission to Mars.”  Through guided field studies; interaction with a variety of STEM professionals, including a keynote speech from a former NASA astronaut; and using the latest technology to create solution to help overcome the challenges associate with colonizing Mars, you child will be able to try their future in STEM."

We are very thankful to Mrs. Juozaitis for nominating Joey for this program.  And we are lucky that there is one being held within driving distance.  We are looking for assistance to help fund the expense of the tuition, the home study kit, and clothing (they have a required dress code).

Thank you for taking the time to read this.  Below is the letter that Joey wrote the night we received the nomition.  I hope you can tell how excite he is by what he said.

Dear readers,

I am eleven turning twelve this summer. I am so proud and thankful of this trip! I got an awesome letter from my 5th grade teacher. I really hope I make it into the right college for these classes. I’m also proud of not just myself I’m also proud of my 5th grade teacher. When I received this letter, it was like what did I do now, thinking it was something not so great but it turned out to be not something horrible or bad it just filled my heart with joy! I was supper exited for this moment to come.

And if you are wondering why I want to go it’s because I really enjoy all the four main points of STEM, and those are science, technology, engineering, and math. At first, I was not a huge fan of math, but then I realized that in math it’s not just addition subtraction multiplication and division it’s geometry all sorts of things like that, thanks to my 5th grade math teacher. And I have been loving technology and engineering I’d always love to do that. Last but not least science I love to learn new things, I also love science experiments in class and even out of class. I just loved those 4 classes.

I bet everyone would take an offer like this one from any age, and, is isn’t just these classes, it’s school in, general you, get help from other people from your classes! Now that I’m in middle school I learn more see more and, feel more joyful to walk in. And it’s not like I did not like elementary school now I have a bunch of classes to attend but almost every day I learn something new. But I had good memories in school and I still have those memories flooding into my brain which brings me happiness. Thank you for reading this I hope you enjoyed!
 
Thank you,
Joey