Congratulations to the students, teachers and staff members who represented Penn Manor so well at the Student Technology Showcase, held Monday in the state Capitol in Harrisburg.
Projects completed by students at Hambright and Martic elementary schools and Manor Middle School were selected for the event, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Association for Educational Communications and Technology (PAECT).
Martic sixth-graders displayed their project to create a television station to broadcast school announcements using Open Broadcaster Software at a cost of less than $100. The broadcasts include lessons on sign language to help students communicate with their peers in the school who have hearing impairments.
Hambright fifth-graders showed off their “The World in Our Backyard” project, which uses virtual reality technology to tell the story of the wetlands, farmland and wooded areas surrounding their school.
Manor students displayed “Science in Our Backyard,” in which eighth-graders worked with the Hambright students to conduct soil samples and create 360-degree images of the areas included in “The World in Our Backyard.”
All three groups of students participated in live-stream presentations on their projects before being introduced in the Senate chamber and given a tour of the Capitol.
They also got to demonstrate their projects and answer questions from state Sens. Scott Martin and Ryan Aument and state Reps. Brett Miller, Bryan Cutler, Joe Webster and Joe Ciresi.
“Senator Martin was amazing with our kids,” said Manor teacher Jennifer Ennis. “He invited them into his office, where they had a great question-and-answer session with him. He was genuinely interested in their projects.”
The Martic students took the opportunity to record an interview with Rep. Cutler for an upcoming television broadcast.
Participating students, teachers and staff included:
Manor – Teacher Jennifer Ennis; Shelby Foster, Penn Manor technology staff trainer; and students Grace Seiger, Abby Ames, GG Moenga, DeShawn Stanley and Jerica Strohmeyer.
Martic – Teacher Brian Plumbo; Judy Keller, technology trainer; and students Parker Sipel, Morgan Eachus, Madison Stringer, CeeJay Rettew, Kaitlyn Yeager and Ayianna Amaro.
Hambright – Teacher Katie Lutz; Shelby Foster, technology staff trainer; and students Ava Luciano, Oliver Hanna, Adelyn Martin, Evangeline Grapes, Soksopia Yiem, Reilly Ennis and Jack Steele.
For many of the students – and some teachers – Monday’s event was the first time they had visited the Capitol.
Many thanks to PAECT and our local legislators for this opportunity to showcase what’s happening in Penn Manor schools.