Partnership with Gwinnett County Public Library brings STEM resources to the Buice Center

     A partnership with the Collins Hill Branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library (GCPL) has transformed student learning at the Buice Center in the most exciting ways. From tech events featuring hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) activities to library book checkouts and converting student library cards into personal ones, each and every student is learning responsibility and developing critical thinking skills that will help them in the classroom and beyond.

     For the school’s annual tech event, the Buice Center uses the cafeteria to host hands-on technology stations, allowing students to visit and rotate among different activities. The Collins Hill Branch of GCPL offers a variety of technologies that Buice Center students typically do not have the opportunity to experience. 

     Nonverbal and special-needs students who follow an alternative curriculum can find stations that fit their needs. Many of these students enjoy the “Makey Makey STEM” station because of its sensory components, which allows them to explore and learn how to control different objects.  

     Middle and high school students in a traditional academic curriculum can apply their problem-solving and critical-thinking skills during the event. They enjoy activities such as exploring basic electronics with Snap Circuits, examining slides under a digital microscope to learn about various science topics, and engaging in hands-on coding and engineering through stations like the “LEGO Spike” kit and the “Sphero Bolt Coding Robot.”

     “One of the most rewarding experiences of this annual event is that students who generally struggle with daily behaviors don’t have issues while they are rotating through the hands-on stations because they are so engaged,” says Buice Center School Librarian Stacie Gadlage. “The BEST part is that ALL of our students learn by doing.”

     In addition to hands-on tech events, the “Library On The Move” van, operated by the Collins Hill Library Branch staff and brought to the Buice Center each month, gives students a sense of freedom. This program serves BRIDGE (Building Relationships in Discipline, Goals, and Education) middle and high school students. Gadlage says many students struggle with finding transportation to GCPL’s branches, so now the public library comes to them! 

     “The Buice library media center has a very small library collection, so our students have been excited each month to be exposed to additional kinds of literature outside of what we have,” adds Gadlage. “This new initiative has been a wonderful opportunity for our students to practice self-selection and responsibility. Our BRIDGE students have been excited each month to see what GCPL has brought.”

     Gadlage also worked with the Collins Hill Library Branch to help ADAPT (Assisting Developing Adults with Productive Transitions) students change their student library cards over to personal library cards. ADAPT is a functional life skills program with an emphasis on community participation, and with this change, students now have their own physical library cards for when they leave the Buice Center. Gadlage says some families are using GCPL more now because their child needs to practice using their library card.

     Ultimately, the partnership with GCPL empowers each and every student at the Buice Center to grow, explore, and take ownership of their learning—now and in the future.