Girls Rock STEAM
Saturday, March 16, 2024
8:15 am - 1:00 pm
Arlington High School
1157 State Route 55
Lagrangeville, NY 12540
Registration Extended to March 9th at midnight
About Us
Girls Rock STEAM is a community outreach event focused on providing young women in Grades 5-8 the opportunity to engage in a day of meaningful STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, & Mathematics) activities. Presenters include Hudson Valley K-12 STEAM teachers, New York State Master Teachers from the Mid-Hudson Regional Cohort, and members of our local STEAM community who are here to share their knowledge and experiences with our participants.
Through our work, we aim to decrease the gender gap in STEAM education and opportunities in order to improve confidence and increase girls' interest in STEAM fields. We seek to engage community members, local professionals, and STEAM organizations in providing meaningful STEAM-related experiences and mentorship for young women here in the Hudson Valley.
About the NYS Master Teacher Program
The New York State Master Teacher Program is a vibrant professional network of more than 1400 outstanding public school K-12 STEM teachers throughout the state who share a passion for their own STEM learning and for collaborating with colleagues to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders.
The Event
Girls Rock STEAM will be held at Arlington High School on Saturday, March 16th 2024 from 8:15 am - 1 pm. The event includes a keynote address, three STEAM sessions, and the new STEAM Connect Showcase.
Registration for this year's event will open on February 1st at 9 am and close on February 29th at 5 pm. Visit the Registration tab to be directed to the Girls Rock STEAM EventBrite. Registration is free and open to girls enrolled in Grades 5-8 here in the Hudson Valley.
Keynote Address
Katharine Greco, Ph.D. will kick off the morning with a keynote address. Katharine is a Director of Technology at Still Bright, Inc. Learn more about Dr. Greco in the Keynote Speaker tab.
STEAM Sessions
Attendees may choose up to three STEAM sessions of 50 minutes each. Activities range from dissections to design challenges! See the descriptions in the Sessions tab for more information.
STEAM Connect Showcase
New to the event this year, the STEAM Connect Showcase will bring together local STEAM professionals, organizations, and community resources. Attendees may visit tables to learn about resources and opportunities for following their curiosity in STEAM fields. Learn who will be there by visiting the STEAM Connect Showcase tab.
Presenters
Meet our presenters for Girls Rock STEAM 2024! Find more information about the engaging activities they have planned by visiting the Sessions tab.
[Kaila Hastings]
Kaila Hastings has been teaching biology and marine biology at Arlington High School for 16 years. She is a STEM Certified Teacher through Columbia University Teacher's College as well as a New York State Master Teacher. Her classroom salt water aquaria allows students to get up close and personal with reef inhabitants. She is passionate about the environment and likes to promote conservation and awareness among her students. When she is not teaching, Kaila enjoys reading, watching sports and spending time outdoors.
[Jen Hansen]
Jen Hansen teaches 7th grade science at Wappingers Junior High School. She loves connecting students with their local environment through programs such as the Hudson River Eel Project.
[Bruce Cobb]
Bruce Cobb is a 5th grade math/science teacher in the Kingston School District. He has been teaching for 24 years and is NYS Master Teacher Emeritus. He enjoys helping his students explore different STEM topics and was a former member of the GRS planning team.
[Tara DiCorcia]
Tara Dicorcia is in her 18th year teaching science at Arlington Central School District, currently teaching biology and forensic science. Professional accomplishments earned throughout her teaching career include National Board Teaching Certification, as well as New York State Master Teacher. Outside of the classroom, Tara enjoys skiing, traveling, and spending time with her husband and 7 year old daughter. Tara's goal is to daily foster a love of science and wonder in her students, creating a kind, supportive space for her students to learn, grow, develop, ask questions and take risks.
[Jason Fidler]
Jason Fidler is in his 22nd year teaching 6th grade science at Henry H. Wells Middle School in Brewster, NY. He is a 2x National Board certified teacher and a current NYS Master Teacher. He enjoys seeing his students experience science through hands on activities and watching them succeed and persevere through failure. He enjoys spending time with his colleagues, wife, 2 children and dog Molly.
[Kate Johnson ]
Kate Johnson is a 7th grade Science teacher in Kingston. She is a fluent Spanish speaker and lover of the outdoors. Before coming to work in public schools Mrs. Johnson spent many years as an Environmental Educator where she got to know the amazing organisms that live at the bottoms of ponds and streams. She likes hiking and last summer completed a 70 mile trip in the mountains in Northern Italy.
[Brittany Kozlenko]
Brittany Kozlenko has been teaching physics for the past 16 years at Brewster High School. She is a current NYS Master Teacher in the Mid-Hudson Region. Brittany also worked at Google in 2019 as a Physics Content Expert in developing their Socratic app. She advises her schools FIRST Robotics team. When not in the classroom she can be found hiking with her family or swimming laps in the pool.
[Annie Mardiney]
Annie Mardiney has been a wild bird rehabilitator for 19 years, and does educational programs with unreleasable owls, falcons and hawks. She has been a lover of the woods, wild places, wild birds and non-Western cultures her entire life. She has degrees in cultural Anthropology, an MA degree from Cornell University in Andean culture, and a retired social studies teacher. When time allows, she's outside birding or hiking with her dogs.
[Marin Malgieri]
Marin Malgieri is a Math/Science Instructional Coach for grades 5 - 8 in the Kingston City School District. She enjoys teaching and learning math, science and technology.
[Stephanie Marden]
NYS Master Teacher Emeritus Stephanie Marden has been teaching biology at Arlington High School for twenty one years. She is also a National Board certified teacher. She keeps busy with her three children and enjoys running marathons.
[Mark Rosengarten]
Mark Rosengarten taught chemistry at Washingtonville High School for 32 years before retiring in 2021. His YouTube channel has chemistry tutorials and music videos that have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times all over the world.
[Susan Simek]
I have taught a variety of science subjects and enjoy tying it back to the world around us and the creatures we share it with.
[Christine McIntyre]
Christine McIntyre is an 8th grade teacher at Van Wyck Junior High School and NYS Master Teacher at Mid Hudson Cohort. She has been teaching 24 years. She graduated from Mount Saint Mary College with a BA in Chemistry and MS in Secondary Education. Mrs. McIntyre loves doing puzzles and seeing and doing new things especially science related like fossil digs and going to the planetarium.
[Gabriella Palmeri]
Gabriella Palmeri is currently in her 4th year of teaching as a Biology Teacher at Carmel High School. She has a background in Forensic Science as well as Biology. Gabriella loves sharing her life-long passion for science with her students and inspiring the next generation of young scientists!
[Brittany Tompkins]
Brittany Tompkins teaches Physics and Astronomy at Arlington High School. She is a current NYS Master Teacher and a NASA Endeavor Certified STEM Educator. She enjoys learning about the fundamentals of our universe at all scales, from quarks and quantum mechanics up through galaxy clusters and gravitational waves. She is passionate about sharing this knowledge with her students and helping them explore the role that science plays in society.
[Victoria Yerkes]
Victoria Yerkes is a high school Chemistry teacher with 17 years experience at Washingtonville High school. She is a NYS Master Teacher at Mid Hudson Cohort. Mrs Yerkes enjoys teaching chemistry through hands-on experience and discussions. When not in the classroom, Mrs. Yerkes loves hiking, skiing and playing piano.
[Kristy Zukswert]
Kristy Zukswert teaches chemistry and natural disasters at Arlington High School and is also a NYS Master Teacher in the Mid-Hudson cohort. She loves teaching hands-on science with an environmental lens and often uses photos from her hikes and travels to make science more engaging! When she is not teaching, you can find her outside skiing, hiking, or playing tennis!
[Barbara Spanos]
Barbara Spanos has been teaching biology at John Jay High School in Cross River, NY since 2021. Prior to this, she taught Living Environment in Brooklyn for 7 years and was a Math for America Master Teacher. Barbara is currently in her second year of the NYS Master Teacher Program from the Mid-Hudson Cohort. She enjoys seeing her students grapple with science through hands-on activities and engaging discussions. Outside of teaching, Barbara enjoys cooking, baking, and all things nature with her family.
[Tara Redican]
Tara Redican earned her BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware and MS in Education from Bank Street College. She has been teaching everything from Pre-K to high school mathematics, robotics, and chemistry since 2001. Mrs. Redican has been a member of AACT and ACS, and she recently participated in the Science Coaches program which pairs scientists in the field with classrooms. She is the faculty sponsor of ChemClub and the NYS Science Honor Society at her school, Newburgh Free Academy. Currently, Mrs. Redican is teaching Honors and Regents Chemistry, but looks forward to teaching a new STEAM course next year and continuing to incorporate content from the multi-disciplinary Big History Project into General Chemistry courses, as well. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and camping, and has participated in Earthwatch research expeditions where she was able to study whales, dolphins, and lemurs. In addition to classroom duties, she enjoys leading professional development classes such as, "Digital Webquests , Escape Rooms, Puzzle Reveals and more."
[Mike Polotaye]
Mike Polotaye is a currently in the Master Teacher Program and has been teaching biology at Arlington High School for twenty years. He enjoys using hands on science to engage and inspire students to wonder about the world around them.
[Erin Daniels]
Erin Daniels is Mid-Hudson Master Teacher and currently teaching 6th grade at Haviland Middle School in the Hyde Park School District. In addition to running the school garden, Mrs. Daniels is a mentor for new teachers, the ‘Game Club’ advisor, assists with the Extended Day program, and writes curriculum with colleagues. Her hobbies include learning to crochet, reading, hiking, and spending time with family.
The NYSMTP Mid-Hudson Girls Rock STEAM Professional Learning Team is led by co-facilitators Gwen Saylor and Kaila Hastings.
Current members of the Girls Rock STEAM PLT include James Amodio, Toni DAlessandro, Erin Daniels, Nicole Devincenzi, Tara DiCorcia, Casey Felleman, Jason Fidler, Jennifer Hansen, Kaila Hastings, Laura Ineson, Brittany Kozlenko, Anthony Mayer, Christine McIntyre, Marc Ouimet, Mike Polotaye, Jennifer Rescigno, Scott Rizzo, Molly Sager, Carrie Schlagler, Heather Schucker, Adam Seelig, Theresa Smith, Barbara Spanos, Kathryn Stewart, Szilvia Tobak, Brittany Tompkins, Victoria Yerkes, and Kristy Zukswert.
Girls Rock STEAM
Saturday, March 16th, 2024 | 8:15 am - 1 pm
Arlington High School | 1157 State Rte 55 Lagrangeville, NY 12540