FEATURES

FEATURES| 13 Tech Ed female enrollment surges, improves classroom experience

Natalie Bandura ’22

Editor-in-Chief

hen Adela Ardrey ’24 Wstudied the Staples course catalog, she thought about how crafty she had always been as a kid. And although she initially felt intimidated and a bit frightened of some of the bulky, dangerous machinery stationed in the Tech Ed classroom, Ardrey thought a class like Tech Ed sounded fun and she thought it might be something she would excel in. She wasn’t the only girl to think so. This year, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of girls who have enrolled in the Tech Ed class— one such class contains seven girls out of a total of 15 students. According to Tech Ed Department Coordinator Patrick Micinilio, this quantity of female enrollment is unusually high in what has always been a heavily male-dominated class. However, this surge in numbers is part of a trend that has been developing over the past four to fi ve years. “While overall increased enrollment is always a plus,” Tech Ed teacher Michael Sansur said, “female student growth brings added advantages, such as diversity, which is not only indicative of real world macro trends, but also adds a wider variety of experiences and perspectives enhancing the program as a whole.”

Over the last several years, Micinilio has met with eighthgrade counselors during the midyear point to discuss the Tech Ed program, encouraging counselors to convince girls to consider enrolling. Some guidance counselors at Staples have also been advocating the class among their female students.

Ardrey enjoys the projects that she has been able to create so far. She appreciates the wide range of skills that she has learned, including how to make functional pens that she has been able to give to her friends. Currently, she’s working on another project.

“I’m about to fi nish my skateboard, which I think is really cool because I’ve always liked skateboarding and making my own is such a fl ex,” Ardrey said. Other projects that are a part of the Tech Ed course include constructing a truss bridge, which involves not only learning how to physically construct the bridge, but also an understanding of certain physics concepts in order to determine how much weight various bridges can support. “The benefi t of taking the class is that you are engaged in hands-on activities,” Micinilio said. “The projects that Mr. Sansur has his students work on require independent thought and creativity, and he’s mixing science into his classes.” Micinilio believes that maintaining high female enrollment in Tech Ed is benefi cial not only as a positive experience for those female students but works to make all students more engaged and enthusiastic. “It’s changing the entire dynamic of the class,” Micinilio said. “The young ladies who have joined [Sansur’s] class over the years have all had such a creative spark in them, and that rubs off on the other kids in the class.” Demial Betfarhad ’24 feels that he has benefi tted from the balanced gender ratio in his Tech Ed class. “[Having more girls enrolled in Tech Ed] defi nitely adds some character to the class,” Betfarhad said. “Just having different people come here defi nitely makes the class more fun.” Sansur hopes that girls in future years will not be afraid to enroll in the Tech Ed class if that is something that interests them. “Life is all about challenges and new discoveries,” Sansur said. “Not only do students gain new skills but the program can also act as an introductory path to peak students’ interests to STEAM future career fi elds, which are gaining popularity.”

“Female student growth brings added advantages, such as diversity, which [...] adds a wider variety of experiences and perspectives.” - Michael Sansur Tech Ed Teacher

Photo by Caitlin Jacob ’25 Graphic by Lily Klau ’23

GIRLS IN TECH ED In the past few years, the Tech Ed class has seen a rise in female students, such as Izzy Alafoyiannis ’24, in a typically male dominated class.