You BOT This! Public Library and High School STEAM Partnerships
Description
Looking for a way to incorporate STEAM and robotics into your children’s programming? Want to work on community partnerships? Running short on time?
Join Molly Virello, Head of Children’s Services at the SPL, and Stacey Hilton, advisor of the award-winning SHS Robotics Club the Southington Cyber Knights, as they discuss how to partner with your local high school’s robotics team to bring dynamic robotics themed programming to your library!
Molly and Stacey have been working together since 2021 to bring Lego First Robotics, Girls Who Code, and Waterworks programming to the Southington Public Library. These programs hit key target age groups from 6-14. Kids are invited to participate in exciting four, six, eight, and sometimes ten-week programs which offer children the opportunity to focus on the fundamentals of engineering as they explore real-world problems, learn to design and code, and create unique solutions made with LEGO bricks.
Learn how to go about creating your own partnership with your local high school as well as how to set up, advertise, and run your own Lego First Program. Hear about this partnership from both the librarian perspective and the school/club perspective.
About the Presenters
Molly Virello earned her MLIS on the other side of the world at the University of Wellington, in New Zealand. She is the Head of Children's Services at the Southington Public Library (CT) and strives to create meaningful partnerships and opportunities between the library and the community. She is passionate about pushing the boundaries regarding what a library can be, what a librarian can do, and making the library a fun, hands-on experience for anyone who walks through the door.
Stacey Hilton is the FIRST Senior Mentor for Connecticut, a role she has held since 2015, dedicated to expanding STEM access and supporting teams across the state. Locally, she serves as the Lead Mentor of FIRST Robotics Team 195 and Secretary for CyberKnights Robotics, the teams nonprofit organization based in Southington, CT. Stacey champions robust funding and sustainable growth while developing community initiatives that engage students, foster lasting relationships, and build a local STEM pipeline.
This event will be hosted in Zoom. Automatic captions will be enabled for this event. This event will be recorded, and registrants will receive access to the recording within a day after the event ends.
If you have questions or requests regarding accessibility, contact us at ce@ala.org or at 312-280-5100.