Vic MacDonald Photos
School Districts 55 & 56 along with many community partners joined forces on Saturday for the STEAM on the Square activities, a 9 am – 3 pm showcase of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. Laurens 55 is a championship Robotics district, and District 56 has the reigning champions in both High School & Middle School South Carolina Science Olympiad.
The activities included STEM Bus, robotics demonstrations, Big Air activities, Children’s Museum of the Upstate, concerts and performances by Clinton and Laurens and surrounding communities’ students in the Laurens County Museum Magnolia Room and Square Stage, student performance and artwork display, Camp Fellowship science activities, Artist Coop makers station, Joe R. Adair Outdoor Education Center nature activities, District 55 Child Nutrition, and pottery and makers station at Square Roots.
The event was sponsored by the School Districts, The City of Laurens, First Steps Laurens County and Laurens County, with the support of the South Carolina Arts Commission and the Laurens County Museum. The Downtown Laurens Plaza was the site of a welcoming ceremony and an awards ceremony to honor community members who have been champions of the arts in Laurens County School District 55 and Laurens County School District 56, at the beginning of the festival. Performances were by a combined District 55 elementary chorus, a District 56 combined elementary chorus, Laurens Middle and Sanders Middle bands, Gray Court/Hickory Tavern bands, Laurens District High School Raider Band, and orchestra students from District 55 performed in the Magnolia Room.
Professor Richard Thomas posted, “Laurens Dist 55 High School Orchestra with Kris Briggs (PC Music 2015) at the Laurens Co. Museum. They sound just amazing! Kris is doing a great job! My cello student Dylan is principal.”
School District 56 posted, “Students from Clinton, Eastside, and Joanna-Woodson Elementary performed in Laurens this weekend for the STEAM event. Artwork from all schools was even displayed in the Laurens County Museum!”
And, The Museum posted, “The students are arriving. They are setting uip for a beautiful concert at 11 o’clock at the museum. Come see the art display as well. There’s so many things happening on the Squate today for STEAM! 9:00am-3:00pm.”
2 brief videos here.
