In this video interview, Caroline B., Class of 2022, reflects on the joy and sense of accomplishment she gets from writing code and building apps, and shares how her teachers have supported and encouraged her to pursue her passion for computer science at Hewitt and beyond.
Steam and Maker Education
Innovators, Inventors, Leaders
Research shows that girls have higher interest and persistence rates in STEAM fields when they are afforded ample opportunities to tinker and build. By introducing design challenges in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics classes starting in the lower school, we prepare our girls to embrace robotics with an eagerness to explore, a willingness to build upon failure, and an openness to constructive feedback. Our K-12 interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to STEAM ensures that Hewitt girls graduate well on their way to becoming the next generation of innovators, inventors, and leaders.
Hewitt students explore, experiment, and play with technology, computer programming, digital fabrication and maker tools, and robotics at every stage of their academic career.
HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR STEAM PROGRAM
- Graphic design and digital art using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator
- Programming in Scratch, JavaScript, and Processing
- Digital fabrication such as laser cutting, etching, and milling with wood and plastic
- 3D printing and design with Tinkercad
- Tinkering with gears and circuitry
- Robotics with VEX IQ, VEX EDR, and Arduino
- E-textile design with LilyPad
- Physical computing with Makey Makey and Micro:bit
- Fabrication with sustainable materials such as mycelium and recycled plastic
- Computer science classes that engage students in circuitry, software development, product design and fabrication, and building and programming robots.
In social studies, lower school students investigate adaptive playground equipment and design and build models of accessible parks
Students break down old electronic devices to identify their components and learn how they function
Second graders use VEX 123 robots to learn about programming, automation, spatial reasoning, and computational thinking
Team 11442X after winning the 2021 New York State VEX Robotics qualifier
As part of their study of physics, seventh grade scientists build balloon rockets
After disassembling a broken paper shredder, a student tests its motor using a power supply in the Hewitt Innovation Lab
Lower school students record video tutorials to share their skills and expertise with peers
A student creates a custom nightlight cover in the Hewitt Innovation Lab
Middle school Hewitt Robotics teams pose with awards for teamwork, robot skills, excellence, and design
Using counting, sequencing, estimation, and problem-solving skills, kindergarten engineers program Beebots to navigate mazes
Our upper school Hewitt Robotics team poses with their robots
Kindergarteners act as videographers, interviewers, and sound operators while filming interviews with members of the Hewitt community
Middle school students make block sets out of fallen tree branches for pediatric patients at Mount Sinai Hospital
Middle school students take apart an old TV in order to reclaim its parts for future Innovation Lab projects
Cutting pieces of wood for a construction project in the Hewitt Innovation Lab