Helen Keller Jr. High School

Schaumberg, IL
Grant: $13,150

News Article
After-school club thinks actuaries are gems

Female actuaries from the Schaumburg, Illinois area, serve as mentors and role models working jointly with the Girls in Engineering, Math and Science (G.E.M.S.) faculty. The G.E.M.S. program is an after school club which serves seventh and eighth grade female students who want to further their knowledge and skills in math, science and engineering. The club is designed to encourage female students to pursue interests in math and science.

The program encourages girls to become interested in non-traditional female roles by participating in "hands-on" activities that build competence and self-confidence. The club deals with both science and math and covers topics such as programming, logic, visual perception, analyzing data and using Microsoft Excel to organize and present data. During each school year, the G.E.M.S. Club is organized as a 10-week unit in the fall and a second 10-week unit in the winter. Currently, the club is working on LEGO Mindstorms Robotics where groups of girls, along with their mentor, build and program different types of robots. When they are complete, the students design a robot race/obstacle course for competition, along with a scoring system.

Programs

Helen Keller Jr. High School