For six years, Kane County and Fredonia families have eagerly awaited the annual 4-H Family STEM Night. However, this year brought a setback due to ongoing construction in the gymnasium, preventing the traditional event from taking place.
All inaugural STEM Fest photos courtesy of Kane County 4-H.
Turning obstacles into opportunities, 4-H organized its first-ever STEM Fest, reaching out to elementary students in grades second to sixth across Kane County and Fredonia.
On February 20 and 21, the 4-H STEM Fest was hosted at the Kanab Center, busing 573 students for two hours of engaging STEM activities. Students enjoyed hands-on experiences exploring sound and vibration, experimenting with Spheros, tinkering with circuits, exploring wind tunnels, learning about the cosmos and experiencing bounce bubbles and Vortex cannons. The event finale included Dylan Kirklin, Director of the STEM Center for Teaching and Learning at SUU, who wowed attendees with educational demos featuring electrical currents, fire tornados and burning bubbles.
Community support has always been crucial for local 4-H programs, and this event was no different. 4-H is grateful to the many businesses and organizations that made this event possible, including the Bureau of Land Management, Healthy Kane County Foundation, Kane County School District, Kanab Center, Kanab City Recreation, Kanab Library, Lumber Plus, Southern Utah University Outreach, Stellar Vista Observatory, Utah STEM Action Center and Southern Utah University.
Additionally, special recognition goes to the Kane Education Foundation (KEF). 2024 is KEF’s 20th year of providing support and services to students in Kane County. The partnership between the foundation and Kane County 4-H has facilitated the success of the large STEM programs hosted in the last six years.
Thank you to all who worked hard and participated in making this an impactful educational experience for our students.
Angie Reidhead is the point of contact for those interested in joining or supporting 4-H efforts, reachable at Kane4-H@gmail.com
Despite challenges posed by construction disruptions, the debut of the STEM Fest demonstrates 4-H’s commitment to nurturing curiosity, learning and community engagement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
