Two second-grade students from SciTech Kids in Manhattan traveled to Washington, DC to meet President Obama and debut their short film about STEAM in the classroom at the first-ever White House Student Film Festival on Feb. 28.
Full S[T]EAM Ahead: How Technology Rocks the Classroom
Eight-year-olds Gabrielle Nafie and Miles Pilchik presented their short film “Full S[T]EAM Ahead: How Technology Rocks the Classroom,” at the first-ever White House Student Film Festival on Feb. 28.
The young duo represented SciTech Kids, a science-focused center for kids on the Upper East Side. Gabrielle is a second-grader at Horace Mann School and Miles is a second-grade student at PS 198.
The film, narrated by Gabrielle and Miles, shows how SciTech Kids’ after-school, weekend, and summer programs are rocking the classroom with STEAM programming. Kim Magloire, president of SciTech Kids, helped the kids created the three-minute film for submission:
In his remarks, President Obama said, “[Gabrielle and Miles] showed us that their class isn’t just dreaming about going into space, they’re actually going into space. They designed density experiments and used a 3-D printer to build tiny satellites to hold them. And then they actually launched a giant balloon that carried their satellites up to the edge of space—very cool—so they could collect the data. When I was in elementary school, I was not launching satellites into space.”
In November, the White House Student Film Festival announced a call for video submissions that highlight the power of technology in schools. Out of 2,500 submissions, 16 films were chosen.
“Gabrielle and Miles were great ambassadors for SciTech and their schools,” Magloire says. “Having the ability to have our students’ work showcased at the White House is truly amazing, but hearing President Obama speak about our kids and their work with such excitement is beyond anything I ever could have hoped for.”
As the SciTech team left the White House, Magliore says, Gabrielle and Miles were already talking about next year’s festival.
To learn more about the film festival and watch all 16 winning submissions, visit whitehouse.gov/filmfestival.
