AES BUILDS ENGINEERS -- BOOKS & BUDDING BUILDERS!
Energy company AES, headquartered in Arlington, has partnered with RIF NOVA to provide STEM-related books AND to teach children about sources of energy. Read below to learn more about each event.
"Math is boring. This is fun!" -- Barcroft ES, 10/14/24
Fourth grade students at Arlington's Barcroft Elementary School -- many clad in their PJs because it was Pajama Day -- had a ball as energy company AES facilitated a wind turbine building project. Following up on its 2023 holiday drive to provide a similar project and STEM-related books at Hoffman-Boston Elementary, the Arlington-based energy company's volunteer staff members showed up in full force on October 15, 2024 to teach kids about energy, where it comes from, and how to generate it. Around the classrooms, children were heard saying, "I never knew solar panels could produce energy, and now I do!" and "I learned where energy comes from!" And then they went to work -- applying their new knowledge and their creativity to build mini-turbines AND works of art!
Each child then chose a STEM-related book to take home in an AES-provided book bag. Upon getting a book, one child said, "Reading really is fundamental. It tells you stories. I cannot live without books!" We, at RIF NOVA, totally agree!!! We are very grateful to AES for continuing this active learning project for area students. Special thanks also to Barcroft library assistant Daniela Londono for helping to make this project a success.
Each child then chose a STEM-related book to take home in an AES-provided book bag. Upon getting a book, one child said, "Reading really is fundamental. It tells you stories. I cannot live without books!" We, at RIF NOVA, totally agree!!! We are very grateful to AES for continuing this active learning project for area students. Special thanks also to Barcroft library assistant Daniela Londono for helping to make this project a success.
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Barcroft ES -- Take Two, 12/10/24
Energy was in the air as AES volunteers returned to Barcroft Elementary on December 10, 2024, this time to meet with the 5th graders. In their science classrooms, the children discussed various energy sources and then watched a video about solar energy, learning more about how it's collected, stored, and transferred to homes. They saw a picture of an AES solar farm about two hours away from Arlington in Spotsylvania, Virginia and then had to map out their ideas about how to move solar energy from there into Arlington homes and schools as usable electricity. It took some serious thinking and discussion with the AES experts, but then the kids began to draw their ideas.
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At the end, the children were pretty proud of their diagrams, as they posed with their AES "teachers." They had learned a lot, too, including some of the positives and negatives about solar energy. "Solar panels don't make as much energy as I thought they would," said one girl. Another said he was really surprised at the size of the batteries used to store the energy -- "almost as big as a house!" he exclaimed. Still another thought the process of energy transfer was "like passing a ball from one player to another in soccer." At the end of their most interesting science class, each child chose a STEM book to take home for keeps.
"This is the best day of my life!" -- Hoffman-Boston, 12/12/23
In December 2023, AES held a holiday book drive to provide STEM-related books for second graders at the county's Hoffman-Boston Elementary School. After explaining what a wind turbine is and does, AES volunteer staff members led the children through a project to build a mini wind turbine of their own. Who knew that building a wind turbine could be so much fun -- using cardboard, cups, string, glue, pipe cleaners, stickers, tape...well, the works! Adding to the fun was picking a new STEM book to take home for the holidays! Said one child, "This is the best day of my life!"
At first, AES staff worked with individual children to explain the concept.
Tawechote Wongbuphanimitr, AES Social Impact Manager, co-directed the turbine project and gave guidance as kids started to build
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Louis Razafimandimby, an AES senior accountant, had fun coaching this young builder
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AES's Anne Le said the best part of the project was engaging the children and their creativity
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As the children grew more confident, they started building the turbines on their own.
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Sharing ideas in teams made the project even more fun!
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And then it was time to show off their wares. Oh, the self-confidence of success! Just look at these faces!
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Special thanks to AES for providing such great STEM books and for creating a project to make learning so much fun for children in the NOVA RIF community!
Note: Adults pictured in the 2023 cover photo above (l-r) include Jeanette Cimino, AES Vice President of Global Change Management and at-large NOVA RIF board member, former board president Justina Johnson, and AES volunteers Isabella Guastaferro and Adriana Roccaro.
Note: Adults pictured in the 2023 cover photo above (l-r) include Jeanette Cimino, AES Vice President of Global Change Management and at-large NOVA RIF board member, former board president Justina Johnson, and AES volunteers Isabella Guastaferro and Adriana Roccaro.
