Ballantyne Magazine covers news, events, real estate, restaurants, shopping, health, schools and business in the upscale Ballantyne Area of Charlotte, NC.
Issue link: https://ballantynemagazine.epubxp.com/i/370594
Providence High teacher Matthew Vincent (center) assists Robert Kowach. In the background, Jada Walters (left) and Kara Spangler confer. Daniel Li contemplates the next step with his assignment. In a STEM class at Providence High, Jake Thompson (background, center) builds a project as Marni Silver (left) and Moni Brians assemble projects based on specs on the computer. 62 BALLANTYNE MAGAZINE FALL 2014 Andre Gouws, who entered N.C. State University this fall, spent his senior year at Ardrey Kell building a 3D interstellar spacecraft. "Since I was little I was always drawing and building with Legos," he explains. "STEM and 3D modeling are a logical progression to further that interest." Infatuation with Legos also inspired Matthew Halsted, a junior, to take several courses, including Principles of Engineering, where he constructed a miniature balsa bridge capable of bearing a 100-pound load. "Since I was a child, I was fascinated by tech, so I gravitated to math," Halsted says. "All these STEM courses are perfect for me, and I've learned so much." Paul Myers, a senior, elected to take Science Visualization, followed by Introduction to Engineering Design. "I want to study engineering in college. My parents tried to get me into the arts, but I've always loved building things and computers." Mission Driven The engineering teachers at all these Ballantyne-area high schools exhibit a "I like the fipped structure where you learn the principles on your PC the night before and come to class ready to apply them in real-life problems ." — PROVIDENCE HIGH JUNIOR ADAM KANE