The Panama Board of Education toured a new K-2 Stem Lab that was introduced at the beginning of the 2018-19 school year. Superintendent Bert Lictus also discussed the district’s current transportation policy. P-J photos by Jordan W. Patterson

PANAMA — The Panama Central School District introduced a new K-2 STEM Lab with the goal of blending traditional and contemporary learning. Board of Education members toured the newly created room during a meeting Monday.

A presentation was given by Elementary Principal Lauren Harper and Director of Instruction Emily Harvey in the new STEM room. The space features various learning materials ranging from a smart board touch screen panel to building blocks. The room was a described by Harvey as a STEM Lab, but also as a collaborative learning space with a focus on team work, problem solving, exploration and trial and error. Superintendent Bert Lictus said the room has a mix of digital learning and also a focus on hands-on learning activities.

“I think it’s fantastic,” Lictus said.

Harvey told the board of the origin of the room began with a conversation she had with the superintendent in the hallway. After the two observed an old room in a different area of the school that was labeled “the STEM room,” both Harvey and Lictus agreed the room wasn’t filled with the materials that warranted the title. Following that conversation, the district began creating the now completed K-2 STEM Lab. The district used carry-over funding from grants that needed to be used.

“We all kind of had a vision and all had ideas, but still wanted to maintain some of that curiosity and that play-time exploration but also try to work in some more science based activities that we can show are aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards,” Harvey said.

The room is currently equipped for grades K-2, but the district hopes to expand the program to other grade levels in the future.

“The kids are definitely highly engaged in here as they move from station to station,” Harper said.

In other news, Lictus discussed the district’s current transportation policy. The update was prompted by several inquiries from the community about bus pickups within the village of Panama. The current policy dictates that residents within village limits are not to be picked up by bus transport unless there are potential hazards for students to walk. A potential hazard could be a residence not having access to a sidewalk, Lictus said.

The policy does not address extenuating circumstances that do not involve potential safety issues for students. The policy does not apply to students in the Universal Pre-Kindergarten program and only impacts school-age students.