Celebrating STEM — Richland One’s BLAST Magnet program continues to soar
COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Funded by a $15 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education in 2022, Richland One’s “Building Lasting Aerospace and STEM Trajectories” or BLAST Magnet program for short, continues to soar.
Richland One is the first school district in the nation to offer an Aerospace Magnet program for students in Kindergarten through 12th grade — now celebrating three years since its inception.
“Well we’re getting the feedback from students. ‘We feel prepared, we’re excited and we like school.’ I think that’s my biggest biggest takeaway, we like school again. Learning should bring joy,” says Dr. Joy Obidike, Richland One’s Aerospace and Magnet STEM Consultant.
Tuesday morning, parents and district officials were offered a bus tour across the city to visit all three campuses involved in the program — traveling to Columbia High, W.A. Johnson Middle, and Watkins-Nance Elementary Schools.
“So here at the elementary school, we do STEM engagement activities with our students through project lead the way starting in kindergarten. And then when they move up to the middle school, they get a chance to take design and modeling, flight and space, automation and robotics, and then moving on to the high school, which is Columbia High, they get to pick their major which is Biomed, Cybersecurity, Pre-Engineering, or Aerospace,” says Dr. Teresa Turner with Richland One.
Leaders say the interactive nature of the courses allow students to be rewarded for their creativity, ingenuity, and innovation.
“This has been one of the first environments in public education where that’s been applauded. Because when you’re doing something that’s not on that checklist, ‘that’s not school.’ Sometimes there’s a tap on the hand or a reprimand. So what if you could create a joyful space where creativity was rewarded and not curtailed?” asks Dr. Obidike.
ABC Columbia’s Lee Williams spoke with 5th grade Ambassadors about their favorite lessons so far.
“We learned about landslides and we got to make a small model about how landslides would affect a town and what we could do to protect the town,” says Hanna Ashford.
“We’re making rockets and they’re gonna launch the rockets into a plate of flour and see what impact they make on the flour,” says Karter Harris.
“When we had to use cards and make a tower, and put heavy objects on top of the tower and see if it’s not falling,” says Qwardarius O’Neal.
“I’m in robotics and I really think it’s fun and helps us a lot in engineering if I want to grow up and become an engineer,” says Ernest Jennings.
While two years of the five year grant remain, leaders say they’re already thinking well into the future, with enrollment for the BLAST Magnet program opening again in December for the 2026-2027 school year.
“We’ve got to start doing school the way students connect. And if they aren’t’ connecting my argument is, then we’re doing it wrong,” says Dr. Obidike.
