Dear community member,
Every year, the COE hosts students from across our community at the Santa Cruz County Science Fair. This longstanding tradition provides an opportunity for students to imagine, experiment, and innovate.
The Science Fair is now around the corner, on March 11. More than 130 students from across grades TK-12, representing every school district in our County, are presenting projects. But for the first time this year, the Science Fair is only part of the story.
The Santa Cruz County Science Fair is expanding into the Santa Cruz County STEAM Expo, an event that includes the traditional fair alongside new project types, performances, and an expo hall with industry representatives, community partners, and activities. STEAM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, art, and math – and the goal of the expo is to provide even more opportunities for students to showcase their STEAM interests and abilities of all kinds. We also aim to foster more career exploration and deepen connections between students, educators, and industry and community partners.
The STEAM Expo is taking place at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds throughout the day, with public viewing from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The lineup includes an Amazon DeepRacer competition, Computer Science Playground, mini math festival, and a sustainable fashion show from FashionTeens, and, of course, the projects themselves. All community members interested in exploring and supporting the ingenuity of our students are invited to attend. No registration is necessary, and the full schedule of events is available online.
There are also still several open slots for those interested in participating as a volunteer or judge for those interested in a deeper level of involvement. Judging is open to all adults, while volunteer positions are available for high school students and adults. If that sounds like it could be you, apply to volunteer here, or contact Lead Judge Miguel Aznar at miguelfaznar@gmail.com to join our team of judges.
Thank you to all of our volunteers, schools, parents, and partners for making the STEAM Expo possible. And to all of our student scientists, artists, mathematicians and engineers – we can’t wait to see what you’ve been working on.
Yours in education and equity,
Dr. Faris Sabbah
County Superintendent of Schools