A visit to the Boathouse District for STEAM Academy students in Oklahoma City wrapped up a summer experience with a dragon boat ride and tour of a boathouse. The 60 students on the trip were hosted by the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation.

Soft SkillsStudents in second through fifth grade who attend Eugene Field and F.D. Moon elementary schools participated in the Summer STEAM Academy.  STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.

“I think the program is absolutely wonderful,” said Ward 6 City Councilwoman Meg Salyer. “Working during the summer on this type of programming, they seem to get so much out of it and I think it’s really showing results.”

According to Mike Knopp, executive director of the boathouse foundation, the Boathouse District can be a unifying force for the community.

“The river is in the heart of the city. We want kids who are growing up in Oklahoma City to all feel connected to our river,” he said. He wants to enable the academy to  “expose kids to things they wouldn’t ever have access to before. It was amazing to me that only one or two kids had ever been on the water before.”

The free academy is provided by the city of Oklahoma City’s Strong Neighborhoods Initiative and the After School Network

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