A chance conversation, a community partnership and a shared belief in the power of STEM education came together to create a meaningful opportunity for students across the Woodhaven-Brownstown School District.
On Tuesday, Sept. 22, members of the Woodhaven-Brownstown Rotary Club and volunteers from the Ford Woodhaven Stamping Plant visited the Woodhaven High School Robotics shop to present the WHS Robotics program with a $10,000 donation and help students prepare more than 300 hands-on STEM kits for WBSD third graders.
The donation, made possible through a Ford Philanthropy Grant for the Woodhaven community, will help support the WHS Robotics program and its continued efforts to bring STEM education beyond the robotics shop and into district classrooms.
The partnership began with a simple conversation.
Woodhaven-Brownstown Rotary member Tammi Tassi, who works at the Woodhaven Stamping Plant, mentioned the grant opportunity to fellow Rotarians. At the same time, one of the Rotary Club's newest members had a student involved with WHS Robotics and had shared the financial challenges the program faces.
"It was serendipitous!" said Barbara Smith of the Woodhaven-Brownstown Rotary Club.
That conversation ultimately brought together the Rotary, Woodhaven Stamping and WBSD Robotics in a partnership focused on giving students more opportunities to learn, build and solve problems.
Bringing STEM to Third-Grade Classrooms
The WHS Robotics students have developed a program called Out of This World Engineering, designed to introduce younger students to the excitement of engineering through hands-on activities.
Last year, robotics students visited five WBSD third-grade classrooms to teach students about the physics of a catapult. This year, the team plans to expand the program to reach all district third graders.
To prepare, Rotary members and Woodhaven Stamping volunteers joined the robotics team in its shop to assemble more than 300 catapult kits.
Each kit includes popsicle sticks, rubber bands, spoons and a mini instruction book. Together, students will use those materials to build small catapults while learning about physics, engineering, problem-solving and design.
For Smith, seeing the donation immediately turn into something students could use was particularly meaningful.
"This was one of those 'Rotary Moments,” Smith said. "We were fortunate to see the direct impact the funds had on this robotics program."
She said Rotary members repeatedly heard students express their gratitude - and were glad the Woodhaven Stamping volunteers were there to hear it as well.
Learning by Doing
For the Rotary Club, supporting STEM education is about more than building catapults or robots. It is about helping students develop the skills and curiosity they will need throughout their lives.
"Our club works closely with the schools, and we realize the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in our children's education," Smith said.
She noted that the partnership supports two of Rotary's areas of focus: Basic Education and Literacy and Community Economic Development.
"Hands-on learning turns passive listening into active physical and mental engagement," Smith said. "Young children and adults learn by doing. I believe this program ignites their curiosity."
That curiosity was on full display during the Rotary and Woodhaven Stamping visit.
The volunteers toured the robotics shops, met middle school and high school robotics students and worked alongside team members to assemble the elementary STEM kits.
"We found it inspiring," Smith said. "Watching students actively engaged and so excited to showcase their shop, their abilities and their leadership."
The students weren't just assembling kits - they were teaching the adults how to do it.
"I think they enjoyed teaching us adults, and we couldn't have done it without them!" Smith said.
One portion of the evening involved folding the instruction manuals, which Smith jokingly described as being "more like an origami class!"
Building More Than Robots
The visit also gave Rotary members an opportunity to see the culture behind the robotics program.
Smith said she was impressed by the enthusiasm of students already involved in robotics as well as those entering the program. She was particularly struck by the number of young women taking leadership roles and succeeding in competitions.
Among those students was Samantha Manning, who helped lead a discussion about both the opportunities and challenges facing the program.
While students spoke enthusiastically about robotics, they also discussed the financial challenges associated with competition.
Smith also learned more about the Goonettes Invitational, an all-girls robotics event hosted at Woodhaven High School Oct. 10–11. The event provides students with opportunities to compete, participate in hands-on demonstrations and connect with engineering programs, businesses and universities.
The visit also highlighted the importance of mentorship within the robotics program.
"We were impressed that the older students took on a mentoring role with the younger ones," Smith said. "They were so eager to share and teach them everything."
She said the kindness and patience students demonstrated—both with younger teammates and with the adult volunteers—left a lasting impression.
A Community Investment in the Future
The Rotary members left the robotics shop with a greater appreciation for how much is happening inside the program - and how a relatively small project can lead to much bigger ideas.
"We were surprised by how a small project - we built kits to build small catapults - could spark new ideas," Smith said.
She also appreciated the program's inclusion of students of different ages, ethnicities and abilities.
For Smith, those connections are exactly why community organizations and businesses should engage with students while they are still in school.
"We have a captive audience," she said. "These young minds are like sponges, and this is exactly the kind of partnership we need to support communities looking for new ways to solve problems."
Through robotics and STEM outreach, students are developing teamwork, problem-solving, camaraderie and empathy.
And the impact extends well beyond the classroom.
"We are entering a new phase of our development as a people," Smith said. "Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics are key areas for creating future leaders and developing new technologies, cures, and ideas."
For WHS Robotics, the $10,000 donation will help the team continue building its own program while expanding opportunities for students throughout WBSD.
And for more than 300 third graders, the investment will soon become something they can hold in their hands, build with their classmates and learn from - one popsicle stick, rubber band and spoon at a time.