Once again ASA students have participated in the FIRST Lego League Paraguay National Championship. This year was the largest showing of ASA students with three elementary school teams in the EXPLORE division and two middle school teams in the CHALLENGE division. FIRST stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology” and is the foremost international program in encouraging youth to experience STEM learning and challenges. Every year students must work out a solution to a problem related to the theme (this year was about the arts in STEM) and then meet for regional, national, and international tournaments to compete, share their knowledge, compare ideas, and display their robots. Students build a robot, use it to compete on a field of challenges, and develop an innovation project based on the theme of the year. We are so proud of our 34 students who participated! Of our eligible 1st to 8th graders, over 7% of ASA’s student body is represented. That means that for about every dozen students, one of them is on a robotics team. Go RoboGators!

The HS robotics team completed a successful community outreach scrimmage this past Saturday. Over 30 students from four different Fundacion Paraguay schools participated in a robotics workshop on Friday and a friendly competition on Saturday. This is the 3rd time that ASA has invited other schools to learn about the FIRST Tech Challenge robotics league for high school students and is becoming a part of our STEAM outreach. We are proud of our students, our visitors from Poway Engineering Academy in San Diego, and all participants. Looking forward to hosting another sooner than later!

ASA students from the STEAM Club visited CCPA School for another community service outreach trip. The student leaders prepared an engineering design challenge that delved into the world of forces and creativity. Armed with pasta, popsicle sticks, paper, and hot glue guns, they gave the participants the challenge of constructing structures that could defy gravity and bear a weight of at least 1kg. These young students from CCPA and several other schools enjoyed putting their imaginations to the test, hypothesizing about structural stability, and then bringing their innovative ideas to life, following the ASA’s design cycle. The result was unbelievable, check out their awe-inspiring structures!

ASA is once again proud to announce that we have been awarded as a STEM School of Excellence by the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA). This special designation celebrates schools whose teachers, administrators, and other stakeholders are providing meaningful STEM education experiences for students and inspiring others to learn effective best practices and instructional strategies to enhance their own programs. This is ASA’s second year being awarded this honor and is a testament to our ongoing STEAM program development and learning opportunities for students. This is possible due to parent and community support, high-quality learning experiences curated by our teachers, and students who meaningfully engage in real-world and authentic STEAM challenges. The is an honor for the whole community to celebrate! Hurray! Our entire STEAM team in the secondary school is proud to celebrate this achievement and welcomes you to the 70th anniversary year of ASA. 

Check out some of the highlights from the application! These include our STEAM Pathway graduates, TECHO & CCPA community service, the annual Art Show / STEAM Expo, professional development of ASA educators, and more!

On Oct 27th and 28th ASA hosted our 3rd annual STEAM Educators Virtual Institute. This online event is open to all AMISA schools in the Latin American region to promote and share STEAM learning best practices. Educators at ASA have the opportunity to attend two keynote sessions and over 20 workshops on topics such as innovation, robotics, learning pedagogy, engineering, biomimicry, and more. ASA teachers are hosting eight workshops and educators from nine other top international schools in Latin America are hosting the remaining alongside curriculum partners. 

During the PTA picnic, the high school robotics team set up a practice mat for anyone in the community to come by and try their hand at driving a robot. Robotics is a club and sport typically comprised of boys and young men, but that is changing. More and more girls and young women are getting involved, taking leadership positions, and mentoring other ladies. The team is proud to share STEM learning with so many young ASA gators, especially the next generation of female leaders!

We're excited to share that the International Day of Women and Girls in Science was celebrated on February 11th! The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is an annual event recognized by the United Nations General Assembly. Its purpose is to advocate for the complete and equitable involvement of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. We're so fortunate to have a group of talented and dedicated women and girls within our ASA community who are actively shaping the landscape of STEAM through really cool projects. From our enthusiastic students engaged in experiments and coding projects to our educators fostering curiosity and pushing boundaries, the efforts of these individuals are truly remarkable. We invite you to join us in acknowledging and celebrating these admirable individuals: Click HERE to learn more about the inspiring work, projects, and goals of ASA's women and girls in STEAM! (Including exclusive interviews)

Each year there are more and more STEAM-centric after-school activities and clubs for students to join from elementary to high school. Clubs and activities are excellent opportunities for students to learn new skills, make friends with common interests, and develop their leadership abilities. It is recommended that students pick one or two clubs each year and stick with them the whole year. Here are some of the more popular STEAM clubs that have existed for several years now:

ES Lego Club - Perfect for our young engineers who like to build, build, build

ES Dash & Dot Robotics - A great introduction to the world of coding and robotics through hands-on programming

ES Math Club - This club primarily focuses on preparation the OMAPA competition

ES Recycling Club - A great opportunity for students who are interested in science and social action

MS Lego Robotics - The first semester is for the competitive team and the second is for anyone to join and learn about robotics

MS Math Club - The middle school extension of the OMAPA competition

HS Global Issues Network (GIN) - A social action club that uses science and technology to impact change

HS TechBuzz - A STEAM  club that hosts local/regional competitions and promotes STEAM entrepreneurship

HS Art Club - An opportunity for anyone to develop art skills in a variety of mediums

Bulletin boards are commonly used to share classroom projects, community events, and updates on whole-school activities for students, staff, parents, and guardians. In front of the Makerspace, we use the bulletin board to draw the students' attention to super-cool STEAM activities and opportunities. This board regularly changes and gets updated, so don't hesitate to walk around the STEAM building to find out what's new! 

Every 2nd semester the Makerspace opens its doors in a collaborative way to anyone interested in learning how to build, code, and program robots. This year the club is expanding to both 5th grade students and high school students, evidence of how STEAM learning is an inclusive force for change in the community. Students are welcome to come Tuesday and Thursdays after school from 3:30 - 4:40 to learn how to build EV3 or TETRIX robots. Student leaders set design challenges, such as battle bots, obstacles courses, races, and mazes to encourage and support the building process. This is the 2nd year this collaborative club has been in session and the 5th year in a row that ASA has continued to grow its robotics program. Much appreciation to all the new and returning members who support STEAM @ ASA!