As the main organizers of the first ever STEM Day at Phillips Exeter Academy, VERTEX first had this idea when we saw a lack of school emphasis on STEM subjects. There are very few opportunities on campus for STEM students to present their own individual projects and not only so, there are no major events dedicated to STEM areas and technology. Back then we wondered if there are entrepreneurship competitions, debate and mock trial, why can’t we have a specific day where students can explore and also share their interests. With the ideology of sharing is caring, the lack of these activities did not make us sit there and complain. Instead, we saw it as a fantastic opportunity to challenge ourselves and be the ones to start the initiative.
Getting the STEM Day message out was the first thing that we did. Luckily, there were a few students who volunteered to help and we formed an organizing team with people working on perfecting every part of the conference.
Early that morning many members of our team worked hard to prepare and set up our Academy Center for the event. They laid food out, tested all the projectors and made sure everything is working before the first event of the day: STEM Forum. Throughout the entire day, everyone worked extra hard, and ultimately it went well. Another reason for the success of the event is how prepared we are before that day. We had a plan for organizers for the whole day detailing exactly when, where, and what each person should do. This plan is incredibly helpful in ensuring the smoothness of the day.
Overall, this experience taught us a lot as it really aligns with our vision to let hi-tech be tangible and fun to all people in our community.
Budget Picture
Featured article on our school’s Newspaper The Exonian
