Updated August 2015

2015-2016 STEM Awareness Weeks & Activities

August

September

October

October

National Financial Planning Month

Activity Ideas

  • Have a financial planner meet with the students to discuss what they do
  • Take a tour of a bank and meet with the various staff members
  • Have a representative from a bank work through a financial literacy course with your students
  • Have a college/university representative talk to your students about financial aid
  • Work with students to create a mock budget during a workshop

October

National Physical Therapy Month

Activity Ideas

  • Tour a physical therapy clinic
  • Have a physical therapist talk to your students about what they do
  • Tour a physical therapy assistant program

October

Energy Awareness Month

Activity Ideas

  • Tour the local power facility
  • Research different methods of energy generation
  • Construct simple solar powered radios or other devices
  • Watch the movie Race the Sun

October 6-12

National Physician Assistant Week

Activity Ideas

  • Invite a Physician’s Assistant to speak to your students
  • Tour a college/university physician assistant program
  • Invite a current physician assistant student to talk to your students

October 19-23, 2015

National Nuclear Science Week

Activity Ideas

October 18-24, 2015

National Chemistry Week

Activity Ideas

  • Tour a college/university campus chemistry department
  • Engage a local pharmacist to come and speak to the students (pharmacy and chemistry are connected)

Last Full week of October

National Respiratory Care Week

Activity Ideas

  • Invite a respiratory therapist to talk to your students
  • Invite an asthma doctor to talk to your students
  • Initiate a coach to 5k program with your students to improve their respiratory systems

Construction Career Days (South Florida-Davie)

October 20-21, 2015

Activity Ideas

  • Attend Construction Career Days
  • Contact local Department of Transportation office about speaking to students

November

First Week of November

National Radiologic Technology Week

Activity Ideas

  • Have a radiologist or radiological technician come to speak to the students
  • Tour a radiology department or MRI facility

Nov 9-15, 2015

Nurse Practitioner’s Week

Activity Ideas

  • Tour a nursing program at a state college or university
  • Invite a current nursing student to speak to students about program and things they should do to prepare in high school
  • Have a nurse come and speak to the students about their job and the different types of nursing positions there are

Nov 15-21

Geography Awareness Week

Activity Ideas

  • Have a GIS professional, cartographer, or surveyor come and talk to the students
  • Participate in a geocaching activity ( need a GPS or GPSapplication on a phone
  • Participate in GIS Day

Nov 18

GIS Day

Activity Ideas

  • Have a GIS professional talk to the students
  • Have a land buyer/developer or someone from the local county government talk to the students about their usage of GIS mapping

December

December

National Write a Business Plan Month

Activity Ideas

  • Have a representative from the Chamber of Commerce or Economic Development Council talk to the student about starting their own business
  • Have a local small business owner talk to the students about how and why they started their own business
  • Have students develop mock businesses and pitch the ideas to each other
  • Have students develop a fundraiser for HSHT and then execute it

Dec 7-13, 2015

Computer Science Awareness Week

Activity Ideas

  • Invite a computer programmer/software programmer/web developer to speak to the students
  • Invite an IT Director to speak to the students
  • Have students construct webpages
  • Participate in an Hour of Code activity

January

January 24-30, 2016

National Nurse Anesthetists Week

Activity Ideas

  • Meet with current nurse anesthetist students to learn what their schooling is actually like, and what courses they took in high school to prepare them.
  • Meet with current nurse anesthetist about their jobs and what the day-to-day is like
  • Visit a nurse anesthetist program to learn about entry requirements, tuition and course load
  • Have students research the nurse anesthetist field: include average pay, hiring companies, job outlook, local hiring companies

January 28-29, 2016

Construction Careers Day (Central Florida-Orlando)

Activity Ideas

  • Attend Construction Career Days
  • Contact local Department of Transportation office about speaking to students

February

February 22-28

Engineering Week

Activity Ideas

  • Visit an engineering program at a university (many offer activities during engineering week)
  • Schedule an engineer to come and talk to your students about their job
  • Have students construct a trebuchet and compete against each other (
  • Visit a build site to take a tour with the project engineer
  • Have students build bridges and compete against each other for weight held

March

National Social Workers Month

Activity Ideas

  • Have a social worker speak to the students about their job
  • Visit a social work program at a college or university
  • Have a social work student come and speak to your students about their college experience
  • Invite VR to come present

National Athletic Trainers Month

Activity Ideas

  • Have an athletic trainer come and speak to the students about their job
  • Visit an athletic trainer facility
  • Have students perform assessments on each other that an athletic trainer would utilize
  • Host a field day for your students to participate in

First Week of MarchDental Hygienist Week

Activity Ideas

  • Take students on a tour of a dental hygienist program at a vocational school or technical college

March 6-12, 2016

Teen Tech Week

Activity Ideas

  • Visit public or university library and meet with a librarian on the resources offered at the library for doing research
  • Have students complete a short research assignment on a HSHT relevant topic such as career of their choice or college/university of their choice

March 15

National Agriculture Day

Activity Ideas

  • Visit a local farm or farmers market
  • Have students report on the various agricultural products that are grown in Florida
  • Build a garden or work in a community garden

April

April

National Occupational Therapy Month

Activity Ideas

  • Visit a physical therapy clinic or hospital facility that utilizes occupational therapists
  • Have an occupational therapist as a speaker
  • Tour an occupational therapy program at a local college or university

April 5-7, 2016

Construction Careers Day (North Florida-Jacksonville)

Activity Ideas

  • Attend Construction Career Days
  • Contact local Department of Transportation office about speaking to students

First Week of April

Robotics Week

Activity Ideas

  • Visit FLATE
  • Have students construct a simple robot
  • Tour a manufacturer facility that utilizes robotics

April 10-16, 2016

National Architecture Week

Activity Ideas

  • Have an architect as a speaker
  • Tour local, notable buildings in your area and learn about their style of architecture and their architect.
  • Tour a new construction site with the lead architect
  • Visit an architecture firm
  • Have students construct mini building renderings they designed or are famous

April 19, 2016

National Library Workers Day

Activity Ideas

  • Visit public or university library and meet with a librarian on the resources offered at the library for doing research
  • Have students complete a short research assignment on a HSHT relevant topic such as career of their choice or college/university of their choice
  • Have a librarian as a speaker

April 17-23, 2016

Occupational Health Nurses Week

Activity Ideas

  • Have an occupational health nurse come and speak to the students
  • Tour a county health department and meet with the director
  • Have students research work related injuries or illnesses that could occur at in their desired career

Last Week of April

Medical Laboratory Professionals Week

Activity Ideas

  • Visit a medical laboratory or blood donation center
  • Have a Clinical Laboratory Technologist or Technician come speak to the students
  • Visit a college/university/vocational program that offers the requisite degree
  • Visit County Health Department to learn about medical testing

May

First week of May

National Correctional Officers Week

Activity Ideas

  • Invite the warden or head correctional officer to come and speak to the students
  • Invite a police officer to come and speak to tour a sheriff’s office or police department

May 6-12, 2016

National Nurses Week

Activity Ideas

  • Tour a nursing program at a state college or university
  • Invite a current nursing student to speak to students about program and things they should do to prepare in high school
  • Have a nurse come and speak to the students about their job and the different types of nursing positions there are

May 8-14, 2016

National Hospital Week

Activity Ideas

  • Tour a local hospital
  • Workshop on variety of careers available at hospitals
  • Visit healthcare administration program at a college or university

3rd Week of May

National Emergency Medical Services Week

Activity Ideas

  • Invite an EMT or paramedic to speak and tour their truck
  • Have students take a CPR class
  • Tour a EMT program at a vocational or state college
  • Have students construct a HSHT first aid kit

May 16, 2016

Accountants Day

Activity Ideas

  • Have students create a mock HSHT budget for the upcoming year or create a budget for an end of year trip
  • Invite an accountant to speak to students
  • Contact local VITA office about having students assisting people with tax returns (
  • Invite county or city budget/finance director to speak on their yearly budget and the creation process

June

June 5-11, 2016

National Business Etiquette Week

Activity Ideas

  • Invite an HR Manager to talk to students about appropriate workplace behavior
  • Invite a clothing retail manager to talk to students on work appropriate attire
  • Mock interviews
  • Writing appropriate emails and answering phones

June 13-17, 2016

National Auto Service Professionals Week

Activity Ideas

  • Visit a mechanic to have them provide a tour of their facility
  • Visit a large car dealership service department
  • Tour a college/vocational school’s mechanic program
  • Have a professional teach students how to change oil on their vehicles
  • Invite an insurance professional to talk to students about care insurance and costs of owning a vehicle

June 9-16, 2016

National Nursing Assistants Week

Activity Ideas

  • Invite a CNA to talk to students about their job
  • Tour an assisted living facility/nursing home to see CNAs in a work setting
  • Tour a state college/technical school’s CNA program

July

July

National Culinary Arts Month

Activity Ideas

  • Tour a restaurant kitchen with the head chef
  • Host a pancake fundraiser or other food related fundraiser where the students have the opportunity to cook
  • Have students bake something for their teachers at school or parents
  • Tour a college program that teaches cooking

3rd week in July

National Zoo-Keepers Week

Activity Ideas

  • Tour a zoo and speak with a zoo keeper about their job and educational requirements
  • Invite a veterinarian to come and speak with the students
  • Volunteer at a humane society or animal shelter