Andrew Gao is a junior at the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (Poly), who previously attended Wolfe Street Academy, a Baltimore Curriculum Project (BCP) neighborhood conversion charter school. He has fond memories of his time there, remembering the supportive teachers and staff, Principal Gaither, and his classmates. His education at Wolfe Street prepared him well for the Ingenuity Program at Roland Park Elementary / Middle School and, now at Poly. However, he only wishes he had experienced more science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) classes during his elementary years.
This desire for increased STEM opportunities for students in Baltimore City Public School inspired the creation of the Poly STEM Outreach Club, a student-created and -led organization. Andrew, the club president, co-founded it in February 2024 with Gwyneth Andal, a fellow Poly junior, who serves as vice president.
The club comprises more than 40 students from Poly who plan and host free events at City Schools. These events include a 15-20 minute presentation on the relevance of STEM in everyday life and various careers, followed by an hour-long, hands-on rotation of fun experiments. Last year the club focused on elementary students in 3rd through 5th grades, with an expansion to middle school students this year. The club, open to all grade levels at Poly, is mentored by James Rittner, an Ingenuity Physics teacher.
Andrew leads an experiment station at Wolfe Street.
On December 10, 2024, the Club held its first STEM event at Wolfe Street Academy for the entire 4th grade class. The Wolfe Street students rotated through several hands-on experiments led by the Poly STEM enthusiasts, including:
- Mathopoly, a board game based on Monopoly where students solve math problems
- Strawberry DNA extraction
- Binary Encoding
- Conductivity
- Virtual drone simulator and piloting real drones and robots, led by Poly Robotics and AFJROTC members.
The program at Wolfe Street marked one of 25 events for their 25 schools by 2025 campaign. Other events completed so far in the 2024-2025 school year include a STEM night at Arlington Elementary School, which attracted around 300 attendees; and a collaborative program held at Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET) with STEM Unbound that hosted activities for four schools. In December, the club partnered with the nonprofit Black Sons, whose mission is to increase STEM opportunities and achievement for students of color in Baltimore and surrounding communities, to host a STEM event at Poly for approximately 100 students.
We spoke with Mr. Rittner, Andrew, Gwyneth, and Thomas, the club secretary and Poly junior, about their passion for STEM and their aspirations for the Poly STEM Outreach Club’s impact on future generations of STEM leaders.
What was the inspiration for the club?
Andrew: My sister is at Wolfe Street Academy now and takes computer science and science every day, but when I attended, there wasn’t a lot of STEM activity available. The Ingenuity Program is STEM-focused, and my first class in middle school was dedicated to STEM. It was then that I started really thinking science was cool. One of the big things about me is that I really love helping the community and giving back. I participate in other service initiatives at Poly, but I wanted to focus on bringing STEM to younger students. There are thousands of students in the city who could benefit from more STEM education. Schools often face costs for labs and demonstrations, so we hope that by offering hands-on STEM experiences, relating to what students are learning in their classrooms, our club can inspire students to pursue careers in these fields.
Gwyneth: I have always loved science, and when I was a kid, I dreamed of being a doctor. Now I want to be a biomedical engineer. When I came to America, I attended an Elementary and Middle School where STEM was only taught once or twice a week. I was really sad about that; this is why it led me to help create the Poly STEM Outreach Club. I wanted to help younger students learn more about STEM since I didn’t have that when I was in elementary school.
Thomas: I attended Roland Park for elementary and middle school where the Ingenuity Program is held, so I was exposed more than other students to STEM. Nevertheless, science classes were rare during elementary school, only happening sometimes on Fridays. As a result, my interest in STEM and the countless possibilities it offered to explore was mostly self-initiated. When I heard about the club, I thought it was a fantastic way to spark that same interest in younger students, without the need for a dedicated class. With the rise of video games and online learning, we sometimes lose the emphasis on hands-on learning, which is best for engagement and quite simply entertainment.
What are your goals for the Poly STEM Outreach Club?
Andrew: Our initial idea behind this club was to get Baltimore City to make STEM education a requirement in every school, but we understand that’s going to take a few years. For now, our goal is to host 25 events by the end of 2025. So far this year, we’ve been able to impact more than 700 students from about seven schools. We are working with BCP to coordinate visits to the other five BCP schools.
After we host an event, we receive long emails of thanks, and hearing how much the students enjoyed it is incredibly rewarding. The word of mouth from community school coordinators truly helps our club grow. It’s gratifying to see the smiles on students’ faces and to experience their excitement firsthand, especially when we receive positive feedback from skeptical coordinators.
Gwyneth: I lead this subgroup in the club called the Development Team. This group is behind all the hands-on activities we do at every school. We create STEM activities based on the lessons the students are currently learning. The school will tell us the grades we will be working with, and then we create STEM activities for that age group.
How do you determine where you go?
Thomas: We reach out to City Schools through emails and phone calls. Once we receive a response, we discuss the details of what the school would like our club to do. The community school coordinators are really helpful in guiding us. We’re also adding to our website to include STEM activities and resources for parents to do with their kids. We plan to promote our website within the community. Our goal this year is to connect with as many schools as we can and expand our network. After that, it will be easier to do annual events at schools.
Mr. Rittner: I’ve been at Poly for over 20 years and have had an opportunity to work with a lot of really amazing students. But this group is a special group. Andrew came to me with an already very fully realized idea for the club and a tangible goal. I’m impressed by the way they run their meetings and have members organized on various tasks so everyone can contribute and give something to the club. I really enjoy seeing them work with the younger kids. The smiles and excitement of the younger kids partnering with the older kids is heartwarming.
Thanks, Poly STEM Outreach Club, for sharing your love of STEM with Wolfe Street!
For more information, visit polystemoutreach.com.
Follow the Poly STEM Outreach Club on Instagram.
