McGehee School | Engineering & Design

Engineering & Design

Integrating science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics, STEAM @McGehee provides students hands-on collaborative experiences, while developing technical skills to meet the needs of the 21st century. With a strong emphasis on the design process, STEAM spirals throughout the curriculum providing opportunities for students to make connections across subject areas and to the real world.

Our youngest students in Little Gate frequent the TinkerLab & Studio which provides space for them to discover their world through a hands-on kinesthetic approach. Drawing from the Reggio Emilia philosophy, our TinkerLab & Studio faculty provide a student-centered environment where children are free to explore and investigate basic principles of motion, energy, and design. Some of our favorite TinkerLab activities include building giant Rube Goldberg-style chain reactions and learning about motion, color, and shape using painting pendulums.

In Lower School, girls visit the Inventor’s Lab where they continue to develop and finesse engineering and design skills in a structured setting. The curriculum emphasizes hands-on learning while developing problem solving and collaboration skills along with fine-motor coordination. Students begin to explore basic coding, computer programming, and robotics. From building and testing shelters to protect South American penguins from warm temperatures, to creating whimsical kinetic sculptures, our Lower School students are immersed in real world learning.

Middle School students collaborate in STEAM Lab as part of their regular class schedule to foster our girls’ confidence in and provide exposure to the broad field of engineering and design. We emphasize teaching our students a way of thinking using an iterative, design-based approach and the curriculum includes instruction in fundamental technical skills including 3D design and printing, computer programming, electronics, and data analysis. Examples of popular projects include sewing wearable electronics and directing movies starring LEGO Mindstorms robots.

Using an integrated approach, faculty infuses STEAM into the Upper School curriculum. As the culmination of the McGehee experience, girls have the opportunity to explore their passions through both independent research and collaborative projects. From designing, fabricating, and testing musical instruments to building large-scale catapults to explore energy and trajectory. McGehee girls are leading the way in engineering and design!