SMILE Club

In this article, Elizabeth Dugan talks about the SMILE Club in District 7 elementary schools.

Spreading smiles through experiments

By: Elizabeth Dugan

Grants Pass School District 7 prides itself in providing all of its students with quality education to prepare them for success. The school district has implemented a multitude of programs to help students from all walks of life achieve excellence and success. One of these programs is called the SMILE Club. Established in 2022, the SMILE Club teaches students from fourth through twelfth grade important skills to help them get into STEM fields.

The SMILE club is an extension program from Oregon State University, and its acronym stands for Science, Math, Investigative Learning, and Experiences. It is a club that teaches students through hands-on learning, listening to guest speakers who are experts in their field, and conducting experiments. Elizabeth Blair is a teacher here in District 7 as well as the advisor for SMILE club at Lincoln Elementary School. She states, “The SMILE club is about opening doors into the STEM field that some students otherwise wouldn’t have been able to open.” This club is an opportunity for students, some of whom persevere through difficult situations like living below the poverty line or coming from a one-parent household, to try new experiences.

Image of SMILE Club members at Lincoln Elementary School. Taken by Elizabeth Blair

Abby McNulty is a fifth-grader at Lincoln Elementary who likes to play volleyball, figure out math puzzles, and hang out with her friends. She has been in the Lincoln Elementary SMILE club for about a year and a half. She explains that recently in SMILE Club, she got to learn about pulley systems and got to create a design to use in a given real-life scenario. She really enjoyed learning about the math behind it. As a whole, she states, “I really like that SMILE helps me grow as a person, as well as better understand the world.” Abby McNulty is one example of how the SMILE Club is changing our education system for the better.

Lincoln Elementary is not the only school in District 7 to have a SMILE Club. There are five other elementary schools in District 7 alone. Highland Elementary is another one of these schools. The SMILE Club advisor at Highland Elementary is Mandy Jackson. She has worked in the district for over 14 years and has advised the SMILE club for four years. In an interview with Mrs. Jackson, she states, “I love our club because kids get to be curious, ask questions and ‘do science’ in a fun atmosphere.” Jackson states that students in the SMILE Club get to explore who they are through topics not generally covered in the grade-level classroom. “So many students love science, but we don't get a lot of time in our daily schedule to spend on it. This gives students carved out time and something to look forward to every week.” The SMILE Club has enriched the education system– not just for the students but for the teachers, as well.

Picture of Lincoln Elementary students participating in SMILE. Picture taken by Elizabeth Blair

Students at Highland Elementary also have plenty to say about the SMILE Club. In a club survey, the kids responded that the best parts about the club are as follows: the multitude of fun activities, the knowledge they learn through these activities, and the knowledge that helps them feel more connected to the world. Owen Tyrrell is a fifth-grader from Highland who states, “My favorite part of SMILE is getting to know the people around me and learning in a new unique way.” The impact SMILE has on the students goes deeper than just learning facts about science. Fifth-grader Sara Oreskovich states that “The SMILE Club has shaped me by showing how to think outside the box, which helped me think more about everything.” The SMILE Club has helped elementary students be more prepared for the world outside of the classroom.

The SMILE Club has impacted young elementary school students across Oregon in many profound ways, like helping students explore a sense of direction for a career or being curious about the world. These experiences will help set the younger generation up for success in the future.

Sources:

Interview with Elizabeth Blair
Interview with Mandy Jackson
Interview with Student Abby McNulty
Survey response from Owen Tyrrell
Survey response from Sara Oreskovich

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