Umatilla officials glimpse STARBASE Academy educating kids before September grand opening
Published 10:00 am Monday, May 24, 2021
- Umatilla fifth and sixth grade students spend the afternoon designing and testing straw rockets at the new STARBASE Academy at the Umatilla Chemical Depot on Friday, May 21, 2021. As the fourth STARBASE Academy in Oregon, the students are getting an early start before the formal grand opening in September when all area students return to classrooms as COVID-19 conditions improve for all local students.
UMATILLA — Local officials got their first glimpse at the Oregon Military Department’s new STARBASE Academy at the Umatilla Chemical Depot in Umatilla on Friday, May 21, according to a press release.
The free program provides fifth and sixth graders the opportunity to hone their science, technology, engineering and math skills for “real-world” settings. It includes 25 hours of STEM instruction for fifth graders and 20 hours on hands-on, project-based after school instruction for sixth graders, the press release said.
Several eager Umatilla students volunteered to try out the academy in advance of its grand opening in September, which will make it the fourth academy of its kind statewide. The students at the May 21 preview designed and tested straw rockets and learned from Oregon National Guard members, the press release said.
The other academies are in Portland, Klamath Falls and Warrenton, and will serve 17 school districts with nearly 4,650 students in 2022, the press release said.
A total of 67 STARBASE Academies in 39 states and territories educate more than 75,000 students annually nationwide, the press release said.
