Schools

Fairfax County Schools Plan First 'STEM-H' Fair, Seek Participants and Speakers

Companies and colleges who want to help spread the word about STEM and health-related careers are invited to participate.

Jennifer Van Der Kleut, editor 

Expanding on its usual annual engineering fair, the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) district announced this month that it will hold its first ever 'STEM-H' fair in February.

Short for "Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Health and Medical Sciences," the fair will aim to present Fairfax County students with insight into STEM-H programs in college and tips for admission, as well as highlight potential future career paths, explained Cara Kirby, a career experience specialist for the school district.

"This year we decided to include health occupations as well due to the constant demand and ever-changing career opportunities in the healthcare industry," Kirby said.

Kirby said the event will feature representatives from educational institutions and business organizations within the STEM-H arena, who will make themselves available to talk with students.

There will also be breakout sessions in the afternoon focusing on topics such as financial aid, security clearances, and extracurricular activities in STEM-H subjects that students may participate in while in high school. 

The district is currently seeking sponsors and participants for the event.

Kirby said colleges, businesses, industries and other organizations that educate for, do business in, or support the STEM-H fields are encouraged to contact FCPS to participate in the event.

Specifically, the district is seeking partners interested in serving as:

  • breakout session speakers
  • exhibitors
  • businesses wanting to demonstrate their products
  • donors to support STEM-H initiatives in FCPS with monetary or in-kind donations
  • providers of goody bags for students participating in the conference
  • companies to join ExxonMobil in sponsorship of the event.

The deadline to sign up as a sponsor or program participant is Friday, Jan. 10.

The STEM-H Expo will be hosted by the six high school career academies in FCPS—Chantilly Academy, Edison Academy, Fairfax Academy, Falls Church Academy, Marshall Academy, and West Potomac Academy.

The STEM-H Expo is planned for Saturday, Feb. 22 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Chantilly High School.  Information about registration and sessions will be publicized in January.

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For more information or to volunteer to be a sponsor or participating organization, contact Cara Kirby at 571-423-4502 or ckkirby@fcps.edu.


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