Canyon Crest Academy students have come together to form a new nonprofit called STEAM in Panama. The organization’s focus is on sponsoring a robotics team for middle school students at the Metropolitan School of Panama. Currently, Panama does not have a regional robotics representation in the FIRST Lego League and the group aims to create a program that will teach students to apply science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts and ignite imagination and critical thinking skills.

The nonprofit was formed by a group of incoming Canyon Crest seniors, across multiple disciplines of Conservatory program, from humanities to art. The student leadership team includes Sarah Cheney, Daniel Bruce, Susan Wahl, Yang Qing and Ivy Li. The group receives guidance from mentor teachers Timothy Stiven, Zachary Brown of the humanities Conservatory, and Tony Mauro from robotics.

Susan said the group would like to see the replication of the unique CCA culture on other campuses, stressing the importance of the integration of art and STEM into schools and how it can benefit students and their communities.

“Our goal is to create an interconnected community between schools in Panama and San Diego and help students from both schools experience cooperation, leadership, and cross cultural experiences,” said Susan, an art Conservatory student who is interested in pursuing a science major in college. “STEAM in Panama would create more opportunities for Panamanian students to take initiative in STEM and arts- related projects.”

The students hope to not only bring robotics to Panama but help them bring them to San Diego to compete in a robotics competition

The nonprofit is looking for sponsors to help, with a goal of $5,000-$8,000 to provide 20 robotics kits for the Panamanian students. To learn more, contact Sarah Cheney at sarahcheney18@gmail.com or visit Steam for Panama’s website at bit.ly/2tIVfkH