Hello - my name is Jackie, and I am thrilled to be the new Executive Director for Saturday Academy! This is, quite literally, my dream job – empowering learners to follow their curiosity and explore the wonders of science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics.
It has been an interesting time of transition. Our ways of communicating and educating have been fundamentally altered due to COVID-19. Saturday Academy has made the difficult decision to not offer in-person classes this summer, and to focus on a new catalog of online classes. We are rolling up our sleeves and diving into the joyous components of creative education in the online space. Saturday Academy has just launched our first round of highly engaging classes on everything from comic books to data science with our professional instructors. I hope that you will find a class that catches your child’s imagination.
Even as we are putting together new and exciting classes, we are also thinking deeply about important issues that are facing our learners and community today. We will be launching important posts, resources, activities and ways to engage with us in important dialog around justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the STEAM space. Keep your eyes peeled and your inboxes open for these important communications.
No matter how chaotic and changing the current landscape may be, the joy of science will always bring a smile to my face. I recently did a Lava Lamp experiment with my son, where we explored the concepts of density using oil and water, acid and base chemistry with Alka Seltzer, and the awesomeness of science by combining it all to create a Lava Lamp. A handout for parents is attached to this message with instructions and questions to ask. I hope that you will be able to share this experiment with your loved ones – whether children or adults! – and bring a smile and a bit of science magic to your day.
Jackie Wirz, Executive Director of Saturday Academy