Valero celebrates STEM in local schools

Published 12:00 am Saturday, November 23, 2019

NORCO – Valero St. Charles Refinery recently celebrated National STEM Day by participating in various activities with local schools. The acronym STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Nov. 8 is National STEM Day.

Valero is an active promoter of STEM programs in communities and a proud employer of more than 900 engineers and thousands of lab technicians, maintenance and operations team members fueling STEM across the U.S. Valero’s support of STEM programs demonstrates its integration of skill/leadership development, recruiting , diversity and inclusion, and employee engagement.

Valero Volunteers attended Family Day at Ethel Schoeffner Elementary School on Nov. 2 and made glow-in-the-dark play slime with the students. “Thank you to our partner in education, Valero, for hosting a STEM booth for students to make slime. This activity offered the students a fun-filled learning experience,” said Vanessa Terry, Ethel Schoeffner Elementary School Principal.

On Nov. 6, Valero Volunteers visited Hahnville High School and completed four demonstrations in the science labs and also in a common area outside of the classroom.

Volunteers wrapped up the week by visiting St. John Magnet STEM program in Reserve where they completed demonstrations in the schoolyard with the students.

Demonstrations at these schools included “roving on the moon,” where students built propelling cars from cardboard, straws, pencils and rubber bands. Volunteers also taught students about how basic electrical circuits work using LED. Others used soda cans, heat and ice to demonstrate how steam works. Some even put Mentos candy in Diet Coke bottles to observe the reaction.

“I feel that it is important to give students an opportunity to explore different facets of the Science and Engineering disciplines at a young age,” said VP and General Manager Jerry Stumbo. “That’s why, our volunteers work closely with the local school systems. We want to support and help educate local students about the importance of STEM, especially because it is the foundation of the refining process.”

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