EDITOR’S NOTES
There’s something invigorating about Fall. Every year, we head back to our classrooms,
schools and districts with such promise and hope. After a summer of rest and work, play and
PD, we’re ready to start fresh.
This fall issue of STEAMed carries that same anticipation and excitement. We’re so fortunate
to be able to feature graffiti artist, author and entrepreneur Erik Wahl (pg. 21) for our cover story
this month. Erik is truly a breath of fresh air. He understands the dualities of art (should we
focus on process or product?) and of our educational system (are tests really important?). He
brings his passion to the table in this interview and I’m thrilled you’ll get a chance to get to
know him.
Want to start a STEAMlab, but aren’t sure where to start or how to get the money? Kim Olson
is sharing the process for getting her STEAMlab off the ground (pg. 6), and Andrew Brovey is
highlighting a new project that is bringing STEAM to schools through art in STEAM on Tour (pg.
16).
If you’re looking for new lesson and project ideas, we have those a-plenty in this issue. Start
with the Zip Line Rescue Challenge (pg. 11) and then move on to using Sketch Notebooks to
engage gifted and talented students - often a non-discussed special population - on page 29.
Or, if you’re looking to use up some of that old cardboard, Tonya Fletcher’s got a great STEAM
challenge idea for you (pg. 38). And don’t miss our special feature, 20+ Lesson Ideas for K-12
Classrooms, which features pages you can print and click so you’ll always have a lesson
handy.
Lastly, we dive into some important topics, like whether we should be grading our students (pg.
43), and how to use classroom design to integrate the arts (pg. 49). There’s a lot of ground to
cover, so grab your favorite hot beverage and dig into this issue!
Here’s to You,
Susan M. Riley, Editor
STEAMed Magazine
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October 2016 Edition