|
GE Presents Love SAM (Science and
Math), a collaborative effort of General Electric, the Albany-Colonie
Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Albany City School District, began
this week with the incoming first-grade students at North Albany Academy
participating in their first hands-on activity of the program.
|
 |
|
North Albany
Academy student Ahmiya Clayton explores the Woodland Forest
ecosystem, which her class prepared on Wednesday. |
The Love SAM students are working
with representatives from The Children’s Museum of Science and
Technology to create four ecosystems: Forest, Desert, Pond and River.
Students worked in groups this week and recorded their experiences with
the “Vidster” child-friendly video recorder.
The young students will study live
animals and be responsible for maintaining the biomes throughout the
year. They will learn about the various environmental factors that
affect the growing conditions and survival of plants and animals.
GE Presents Love SAM (Science and
Math) will expand each year until students in grades 1 through 4, and
their teachers, have access to the enhanced learning opportunities. The
program is the result of a collaborative effort between business and
education leaders in the Capital Region who recognize the growing need
for a more highly skilled work force to help expand New York’s Tech
Valley.
With a commitment of $125,000 in
funding by GE, the Albany City School District is working with
educational, business and technology experts to create a program that
enhances the current curriculum with hands-on learning and high-tech
tools.
The Albany-Colonie Chamber of
Commerce, a collaborative partner in the program, has been working to
help schools prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s job market.
In 2003, the Chamber launched its
FAMtask initiative to bring key community and business leaders together
to discuss, outline and address the challenge of attracting and
retaining the talent that will establish Tech Valley as a world-class
center for technology. The Love SAM program is one such example of this
dedication to our young students.
|
