Elliott, ST Rotary Member and District 7430 STEM YEA Youth Services Chair Darlene Scott, Caden and ST President Sarah Bergin
On Thursday, August 28, our meeting was led by two inspiring young men who participated at our Rotary District 7430, STEM Youth Explorer Academy
Both middle school students reflected on their experience in their own way. Elliot shared about his dorm experience and the different friends he met. Caden shared more about the program, but reflected also on the relationships he made. They were both amazing and were deeply impacted by their experience. They expressed their gratitude to our club.
I recently listened to a segment entitled, “Falling Behind: Do we treat boys like malfunctioning girls?”. One of the comments that an elementary aged boy made regarding school as “six cruel hours of our lives,” (an acronym for school) – reminded me of my own dislike of education at his age.
The podcast went on to say, “In every single U.S. state, men are less likely than women to earn a bachelor's degree. But that educational achievement gap begins much, much earlier. By the time they’re just 8 years old, boys are nearly half a grade behind girls.
And as that gap grows, it's correlated with higher rates of poverty, unemployment, and suicide for American men. Which is why a growing chorus of experts are saying with urgency, when it comes to boys and school, for the good of the boys and the good of the nation, something needs to be done — now.”
STEM YEA is a step towards addressing issues that were mentioned in this podcast. Students like Elliot and Caden are selected to attend this camp on a few things. Besides having an interest in a STEM field, this camp is intended for students who might not have the financial resources to attend extra-curricular activities like this camp. The very latest research from University of VA on how to engage students in STEM courses states that activities such as camps, competitions and workshops outside of school have a positive impact on students’ engagement.
Our club has supported STEM YEA from the very start – and I strongly believe we should consider our support for many years. The STEM YEA fundraising dinner on September 27 is specifically to support the student backpack (which Caden brought with him to our meeting) and the family dinner at the end of the Youth Explorer Academy event. Now that you’ve heard from students who attended STEM YEA, perhaps you will join me by attending the event? CLICK HERE to order your ticket. If you would like to make a donation directly to STEM YEA – CLICK HERE.
STEM YEA, Student Scholarships, Camp Neidig, Interact, Rotary Student Exchange – these are just a few of the programs that we support through our fundraising efforts such as fundraising dinners, direct financial donations, auctions, the Beer Fest and the Golf Outing. We need EVERYONE IN OUR CLUB to step into supporting all of these events!
As I mentioned at the last meeting, we are asking each club member to collect $100, or more, in donations for the Centennial Celebration on October 30 - CLICK HERE. If you do not have time to ask a business in our community for a donation, kindly purchase a few items and give them to Karla Myers or Janet Pesini. Karla will be keeping track of businesses we have approached, so send her an email CLICK HERE before approaching a business to see if they were asked already.
Please consider purchasing a table at our 100th Anniversary Celebration on October 30, and invite 7 people to join you! There are going to be plenty of ways to raise funds for our Foundation at the event – not just auction items! CLICK HERE to order your ticket or table today.
Thank you again for your ongoing support of our club and our projects. Let’s #UniteforGood!
In Rotary
Sarah Bergin
President 2025-26
PS - CLICK HERE for a recap of photo's from the Academy this year!