Randy Hughes Middle School

Meet Our Facilitator: Mrs. Ketchum

My name is Amanda Ketchum. My amazing husband's name is Dillon and we have a kiddo named Koen, he is our entire world. We love living out in the country in Haywood. As a family, we love to go ride side-by-sides, be outdoors, go camping, take fun road trips, work at our body shop/small business, and spend time at home RELAXING with family & friends.

I graduated magna cum laude with my Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education in 2011 from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. I started teaching in 2012 at Parker Intermediate Center. I was at Parker for seven years teaching Mathematics & one year teaching STEAM. I transferred to Puterbaugh Middle School in 2020. We moved to the brand new Randy Hughes Middle School building in 2023 and I absolutely LOVE it, it's my dream job come true. I have such a passion for STEM and love doing what I do each day. I love to see students having fun while learning, exploring, and problem-solving in the SMARTLab at RHMS.

As an effective SmartLab Facilitator, I have a love of learning and inquiry, a growth mindset, excellent classroom management, strong organizational skills and enthusiasm, energy, and high expectations for learners. I use Remind, Schoology, PowerSchool to provide effective communication with educators, students, and learners.

I take great pleasure in facilitating the exciting and inspiring work completed by my students each day in our SmartLab. Have a BUFFALO day!

What is the STEM SmartLab?

The STEM Lab emphasizes discovery and exploration. Teams of learners apply a wide range of technologies to projects as they rotate through a carefully crafted sequence of learning engagements. This ensures a broad base of foundational experiences and an ever-changing mix of ideas and inspiration.

Students choose an appropriate level of challenge, apply their own interests and learning styles, and explore questions of personal relevance. With increased autonomy, learners take more responsibility for their learning.

SmartLab Learners explore and apply a wide range of technologies to project-based work. Students develop and practice real-world skills such as problem-solving, collaboration, project planning, and communication. Students follow the SmartLab Learning Process and document their work daily.

The graphic shows the Areas of Exploration explored in the SmartLab.

RHMS SmartLab

The brand new building and SmartLab Opened Fall of 2023 at Randy Hughes Middle School. SmartLab projects incorporate relevant content, and opportunities for additional connections, as related to the technology and project challenge.

SmartLab projects support connections to:

English Language Arts
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
21st Century skills
Essential life and leadership skills
Global and digital citizenship
Learning acceleration
Cross-curricular integration

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Students receive STEM Award from the Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance. Click here to read more.

Students used the Engino Architecture Kit to build the Eiffel Tower.

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Students are building a simple snap circuit with a light and switch to turn the bulb off and on. The Snap Circuits Collection provides learners with a snap-together circuit-building system that allows them to explore various circuitry concepts. Over 750 circuit designs can be built with the collection, including basic projects with switches, batteries, and LEDs and more complex circuits incorporating solar panels, integrated sound chips, and electromagnets. With the Snap Circuits Collection, students can design circuits representing many electronic objects they use daily.

Students are testing their solar-powered car. Their project was to design, build, and test a high-performance solar car. The Solar Car Kit allows students to design and build their own solar vehicles using compact solar panels, motors, gears, wheels, and various found or purchased materials. With this kit, students can experiment with different designs to determine the best approach to creating a solar vehicle.

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SNAP CIRCUITS

LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 ROBOTICS

IQ KEY CAR

PNEUMATICS

SNAP CIRCUITS

LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 ROBOTICS

ENGINO BRIDGE DESIGNER

PROJECT VOCABULARY RESEARCH

COMIC LIFE DESIGN

SYDNEY BRIDGE REPLICA WITH ENGINO

DIGITAL PRESENTATIONS

MAKING A MUSIC VIDEO WITH ADOBE

EIFFEL TOWER WITH ENGINO

SCRATCH CODING

CREATING GOOGLE SLIDE PRESENTATIONS

STOP MOTION ANIMATION

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LEGO® Education solutions grow with students building confidence in STEAM skills like coding, robotics, and computer science. Simultaneously, they foster 21st century skills like collaboration and critical thinking.

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Project Presentations

During presentations, learners share their projects and learning experiences with their peers, considering what information and format is going to be most relevant and engaging to that specific audience. They also provide constructive feedback to their peers through discussion.

K’NEX Ferris Wheel

The K'NEX Ferris Wheel is a monumental construction project that requires learners to follow directions accurately to construct a functional Ferris wheel. The set comes with hundreds of interlocking plastic pieces, including rods, connectors, and gears, as well as a motor and a battery-powered motor. The Ferris wheel stands over six feet tall and is an eye-catching display and conversation starter in our lab. RHMS students spent weeks building this Ferris wheel during the 2023 Fall Semester.

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