Saturday, March 15, 2008
13th annual GEMS conference


Grigsby Students Attend GEMS Conference at Lewis & Clark College

Four Grigsby students attended the GEMS (Girls Explore, Experience & Experiment in Math and Science) Conference at Lewis and Clark Community College, in Godfrey, Illinois on Saturday, March 15, with other middle school students from across Madison County. A first-time opportunity for Granite City schools, attendees were able to choose from twenty-two different workshops dealing with topics and careers in Health, Science, Engineering, Technology and Related Science Fields. All attendees also participated in a “Welcome to the Real World!” workshop and heard guest speaker Nicole Adewale discuss “Bringing Dreams to Reality.”

When asked about what they thought of the day, attendees gave a very positive report. Alison Stabenow stated, “I thought it was a great experience! I had a lot of fun and I wish that I knew about the GEMS Conference when I was in 6th grade.” Iya Ashkar agreed that the day was fun and really enjoyed the “Dirt Shirts” (tie-dying a shirt the natural way, using clay native to Illinois) and Science Magic workshops, along with learning how to write actual checks. Fahtima Ashkar commented that, “It was the most fun I have ever had!”

The GEMS Conference is held annually for middle school girls throughout Madison County and is sponsored by the American Association of University Women – Piasa Area Council, and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. – Edwardsville Area Alumnae Chapter. GEMS Mission is to increase young women’s interest in mathematics, science and technology; to encourage and promote young women’s continuing involvement in mathematics, science and technology courses in high school and college; and to provide young women an opportunity to learn about careers in mathematics, science and technology.