Quick look: Orange County students are invited to meet educator-astronaut Aymette Medina Jorge and explore hands-on STEAM activities at STEAM Race to Space Day on Sept. 19. The free event will kick off the annual STEAM Race to Space Reading Challenge, which uses books, real-world experiences and student incentives to encourage reading and STEAM exploration.
A good book can take a student just about anywhere — even outer space.
On Sept. 19, Orange County students will get to explore that idea with someone who has experienced the journey firsthand. Aymette Medina Jorge, an award-winning educator who went from the classroom to space as a Blue Origin astronaut, will be the featured presenter at STEAM Race to Space Day with an interactive presentation about STEM, her journey to space and what it was like to become the first K-12 educator of Hispanic descent to travel to space aboard a commercial vehicle.
Ahead of the annual STEAM Race to Space Reading Challenge, presented by Timeless Learning Inc. in partnership with the Orange County Department of Education, students from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade will get the chance to meet Medina Jorge before taking part in hands-on activities exploring science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
“Amy is not only a Blue Origin astronaut, she’s an educator, and I think that makes her story especially meaningful and relatable to students,” said Pat Burns, reading challenge founder and CEO. “They can see that extraordinary opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math aren’t just things they read about. They are real possibilities for their own futures.”
Medina Jorge will deliver one presentation in Spanish followed by a second presentation in English, giving students an opportunity to learn about the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space through a teacher’s perspective. In addition, Anaheim Elementary School District student mariachi group, “Las Estrellas de Anaheim,” will welcome families with a performance before the Spanish-language presentation.
The meeting will be held at the OCDE Conference Center on Saturday, Sept. 19 for free to all who register here. The special event will also highlight career pathways for students who want to take their passion for STEM to the next level and find out how they can get involved.
Hosted by Anaheim Elementary School District Superintendent Jesus Chavarria and OCDE Chief of Staff Dennis Cole, the Race to Space Day will prepare and encourage young OC learners for the upcoming reading challenge set to take off Sept. 25 and run through Oct. 16.
Lifting off the reading challenge
Here’s how the literacy initiative works: students will create an account through the Beanstack app and track their reading progress by the minute or by page, depending on their grade level. Once they reach a base goal ranging from 150 minutes to 210 minutes of reading or being read to, they can continue reading to earn virtual tickets.
Those tickets can be applied toward bonus prizes ranging from digital badges and model rocket launch sets to unique educational opportunities. Experiences include a visit to Garner Holt Productions in Redlands, where students can learn about the creation of animatronics used by Disneyland and Universal Studios, and educational tours at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, where they can get a behind-the-scenes look at how water is treated and supplied to nearly 19 million people across six counties.
Some of this year’s featured authors include New York Times-bestselling author Abigail Hing Wen, whose illustrated novel “The Vale” explores a young boy’s creation of an AI-generated fantasy world, and Orange County’s own Lori Polydoros, an English teacher at Santa Ana’s Godinez Fundamental High School who wrote “Quake Chasers: 15 Women Rocking Earthquake Science” about a group of scientists working to advance earthquake research.
By recommending dozens of books that incorporate scientific topics, fictional adventures and real-world discovery, the reading challenge aims to help students learn new concepts while tapping into their imaginations.
That early exposure to STEM may also help students begin seeing themselves in fields that extend well beyond the classroom. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects STEM occupations will grow more than twice as fast as non-STEM occupations through 2035.
Building a launchpad for STEM
Last year, about 1,900 students took part in the Reading Challenge. This year, organizers hope to reach 2,026 young learners, giving even more students a chance to explore the possibilities that emerge when curiosity about the world intersects with science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics.
“We want students to discover that reading can take them far beyond the pages of a book,” said Burns. “It can spark curiosity, introduce them to new ideas and careers, and help them begin imagining what they might someday become.”
Space for the STEAM Race to Space Day is limited, so interested families are encouraged to register soon or join the waitlist to secure their child’s spot.
Families and educators interested in participating in the STEAM Reading Challenge or receiving updates can sign up for notifications at readsteam.org/stay-informed. Registration is now open at the STEAM Race to Space Reading Challenge website.