MATTESON STEM CENTER TO SERVE COMMUNITY

School District 159 Superintendent Mable Alfred, along with elected officials and clergy celebrated the groundbreaking of the District’s STEM Center. Pictured Left to right: Rick Reinbold, Village President, Richton Park, IL, Sheila Chalmer-Curran Village President, Matteson, IL, Carolyn G. Palmer, SD 159 Board Member, Carl Scott, SD 159 Vice President, Sharee Morton, SD 159 President, Rev. Dr. Trunell Felder, Senior Pastor, New Faith Baptist Church International, Matteson, IL, Dr. Mable Alfred, Superintendent SD 159, Debbie Meyers-Martin, State Representative 38th District, Rev. Andrew D. Singleton Jr., Senior Pastor, Victory Apostolic Church, Matteson, IL and Calvin Jordan, Rich Township Supervisor were all there to celebrate the groundbreaking of the District’s STEM Center. Photo by Janette Ramos
School District 159 Superintendent Mable Alfred, along with elected officials and clergy celebrated the groundbreaking of the District’s STEM Center. Pictured Left to right: Rick Reinbold, Village President, Richton Park, IL, Sheila Chalmer-Curran Village President, Matteson, IL, Carolyn G. Palmer, SD 159 Board Member, Carl Scott, SD 159 Vice President, Sharee Morton, SD 159 President, Rev. Dr. Trunell Felder, Senior Pastor, New Faith Baptist Church International, Matteson, IL, Dr. Mable Alfred, Superintendent SD 159, Debbie Meyers-Martin, State Representative 38th District, Rev. Andrew D. Singleton Jr., Senior Pastor, Victory Apostolic Church, Matteson, IL and Calvin Jordan, Rich Township Supervisor were all there to celebrate the groundbreaking of the District’s STEM Center. Photo by Janette Ramos

 Matteson STEM Center to serve community

BY TIA CAROL JONES
The Community STEM Center in Matteson is expected to be open by
the 2022-2023 school year and will be located at 20648 Matteson Avenue. The
facility will house the School District 159 offices and the Community STEM
Center. The STEM Center will include an aerospace lab, a Makerspace lab and
a foundational lab for younger students and community members.

Dr. Mable Alfred, superintendent of School District 159, said the goal of
the STEM Center is to pique children’s interest in science, technology, engineering
and math. “One thing we know, we have to prepare ourselves for a world
that many of our students don’t see right now, a world that doesn’t exist,” she said.

In order to get the children excited about STEM it has to go beyond school, into the homes and into the communities. The STEM Center will bring in the family and the community. According to Alfred, there was a voters’ referendum in the district and 68% votes were in favor of the STEM Center. She also boasted that taxes are
not being raised to finance and build the STEM Center project.

Alfred is looking forward to the STEM Center bringing the foundation of science, technology, engineering and math to the community and raising the level of that curriculum in the community. “It will give our kids the inspiration to become aerospace engineers, astronauts and pilots. It’s going to open up a world of possibilities for them. Not just our students, but our community,” she said.

It was important for the district to open the center to the community so it could show how integral STEM education is. To engage the community, there will be family classes as well as classes that the community can participate in. One example is if the primary students in first and second grades are working on a project, there will also be classes for parents of those students for them to engage in those projects.

Alfred expects for the STEM center to be a gamechanger in the community because it will prepare the students for the future, giving them resources to enable them to pursue careers in STEM.

The STEM Center will be in District 38, which is represented by Illinois State
Representative Debbie Meyers-Martin. For Meyers-Martin, the STEM Center is necessary for the students to be prepared for the globally competitive world. For them to do that, resources must be available for those students to be innovative, discover, explore, research, and collaborate. “Preparation, education, those types of resources are extremely important for our students to be successful,” she said.

Meyers-Martin supports the STEM Center and is excited about what the parents, the school district and the Village of Matteson are doing with the creation of the center. “I am looking forward to the STEM Center being up and operating so that our students can get the education in the sciences, engineering, technology and mathematics
that they so well-deserve and it is our responsibility to make sure they have those resources,” said Meyers-Martin.

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