Winchester STARBASE Academy
Engaging and inspiring our youth in STEAM activities since 2012
We use a hands-on, minds-on approach, and focus on collaboration and problem-solving skills to engage and inspire our youth in STEAM activities and careers.
The fifth graders of our community attend STARBASE for 5-days, 25-hours of exciting STEAM instruction. All activities are hands-on, in order to excite students about the STEAM field. Students learn about the forms and transformations of energy, forces and motion, atomic structures, robotics and programming, physical and chemical changes, computer-aided design, and so much more.
Showing the possibilities for every students' future is accomplished through the instructors and the learning environment, guest speakers and military members. Each class receives a tour of the Winchester Readiness Center, an Army National Guard facility, and has a guest speaker from the community. Guest speakers include medical personnel, engineers, programmers, author and anti-terrorism specialist, historical experts, connecting with the International Space Station, law enforcement canine trainers, STEM flights, and many more.
In addition to our 5th grade program, we also provide outreach activities in the community. STARBASE has an STEAM after-school Advanced Program at James Wood Middle School in the fall, provide summer camps, and teach programming and technology activities to high school JROTC students during their summer leadership camps.
Thank you to the school districts of Frederick County, Clarke County, and Winchester and the community for supporting our fantastic program.
MISSION
To expose our nation's youth to the technological environments and positive civilian and military role models found on Active, Guard, and Reserve military bases and installations, nurture a winning network of collaborators, and build mutual loyalty within our communities, by providing 25 hours of exemplary hands-on instruction and activities that meet or exceed the National Standards.
VISION
To be the premier Department of Defense youth outreach program for raising the interest in learning and improving the knowledge and skills of our nation's youth so that we may develop a highly educated and skilled American workforce who can meet the advance technological requirements of the Department of Defense.
