Club Invention

Sunnyvale Intermediate School third-grader Kinison McGregor loves hands-on projects where she can use creativity and explore the possibilities of learning. In a recent project, she and her classmates were challenged to create a safe animal habitat. They will test their habitats’ safety in an upcoming lesson by having their animals zip line.

“I love getting to make really anything and putting my imagination to work,” Kinison shared.

To the everyday observer, it may seem that Kinison is simply working on a science project. However, she’s actually building toward the foundation of her dream job — she wants to be a teacher or an engineer when she grows up.

Thanks to a partnership among Sunnyvale ISD (SISD), the Sunnyvale Education Foundation, and local community partner Fritz-Oak Corporation, Kinison and her friends will have the opportunity to be classroom creators daily with STEM curriculum from Club Invention.

Club Invention is a nationally recognized nonprofit enrichment program with curriculum developed by the National Inventors Hall of Fame. The program is designed under the guidance of the Hall of Fame’s inductees. SISD has found Club Invention to be a perfect fit for its district STEM goals.

“Sunnyvale Intermediate School’s Campus Improvement Plan, which connects directly to our overall Strategic Plan, calls to continue to build upon our STEM Program,” Principal Sara Staley said. “After hearing about Club Invention, I knew this was a program that we wanted to continue for years to come. It promotes engagement, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills; the design process is central to the curriculum. Again, fitting in with our SISD goals.”

It’s all part of Staley’s goal to build a culture of STEM at Sunnyvale Intermediate - not just separate Science or STEM objectives.

“Even though our teachers teach in a specific content area, we have built a school-wide STEM culture,” Staley said. “Each homeroom teacher provides instruction for Club Invention to their homeroom class, which is what helps make our program even more successful. My goal for our students is that they do not see STEM as only being in the Science class with the Science teacher. All teachers are active facilitators in Club Invention.”

Each Club Invention activity is linked directly to one of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) - the standards by which all Texas students are evaluated. Sunnyvale Intermediate students have an opportunity to work on a number of STEM activities through Club Invention, including “Rescue Squad” during 2020-2021 and the “Camp Invention” in the summer of 2021.

Staley’s goal for creating a school-wide STEM climate around her school has been enhanced by valuable community support.

“Many of our Club Invention sponsors have also participated in our STEM Career Day and have added to creating student excitement in STEMrelated fields,” Staley continued. “Our sponsors have seen how STEM has had an impact in crosscurricular ways and in engaging our students. When we began our Club Invention programs, our students were eager to learn through problem solving and design thinking!”