On an April evening, a bus carried a group of Westfield students home from Worcester, where they had spent a long day presenting their scientific work at the state fair. Among the adults who had guided them was a vocational science teacher who was honored for teaching young people to see the problems around them as questions worth answering. Her recognition marks a quiet moment in a school district learning that curiosity can begin in a machine shop as readily as in a laboratory.
Westfield Tech Teacher Honored at State Science Fair for Mentoring 100 Student Projects
Everyone is an engineer
Mark
Twelve finalists went to Worcester, but the story is really about one teacher. Why?
Mimi
Because of the 100. Styspeck got 100 of her students working on projects this year, and WTA sent an unprecedented number to the fair. The twelve finalists are the visible tip.
Mark
And the award itself?
Mimi
It's one of three Student Support Awards, given to educators who help students see themselves as capable scientists and engineers. The citation talked about students noticing problems in their vocational shops and turning them into scientific questions.
Luke
Worth saying that the 100 figure is the district's account of her classes. The reporting doesn't say how many of those projects reached the finals or what the projects were.
Mark
Fair. What about the Smith comment that Styspeck sees them only every other week?
Mimi
That's the detail that makes it striking. Smith says each project is unique and needs real one-on-one attention, and that was done with limited class time.
Luke
That's Smith's characterization, though. We don't have a description of how Styspeck actually managed the time.
Mark
Does anything change next year?
Mimi
Smith says student success has inspired changes to let more students take part in the science fair.
Luke
But no details are given. No numbers, no new programs. It's a stated intention, nothing more yet.
Der Puls
- Twelve Westfield finalists stepped onto the state fair floor at the DCU Center in Worcester on April 9, many of them presenting for the first time at this level.
- Westfield Technical Academy arrived at the state fair for the first time, a surprising debut carried by roughly 100 students from one teacher's classes.
- A single science teacher was singled out with one of three Student Support Awards, drawing attention to a district program that had grown faster than its usual reach.
- Conversations with engineers and scientists from Amazon, MIT, WPI, and other institutions opened possible career paths for students still deciding what comes next.
- Officials are now working on changes meant to bring more students into the science fair in coming years, though the details have not yet been made public.
On an April evening, a bus carried a group of Westfield students home from Worcester, where they had spent a long day presenting their scientific work at the state fair. Among the adults who had guided them was a vocational science teacher who was honored for teaching young people to see the problems around them as questions worth answering. Her recognition marks a quiet moment in a school district learning that curiosity can begin in a machine shop as readily as in a laboratory.
The bus carrying Westfield's student scientists pulled back into school around 7:30 p.m. on April 9, after a long day at the Massachusetts High School Science & Engineering Fair in Worcester. Teacher Kristen Styspeck, who rode along, reported that everyone arrived safely and still in good spirits.
Twelve district finalists made the trip: eight from Westfield High School and four from Westfield Technical Academy, which was attending the state fair for the first time. Styspeck, a WTA science teacher, had helped about 100 of her students develop projects this year, and at the fair she received one of three Student Support Awards for educators who help students see themselves as capable scientists and engineers.
The organizers' citation credited her with encouraging students to notice real-world problems in their vocational shops and shape those observations into scientific questions and possible solutions. Styspeck called the day long but rewarding, and said students gained support and advice from professionals at companies and institutions including Amazon, Eversource, Dell, MIT, and WPI.
Colleagues described the work as demanding. Christina Smith, the district's supervisor of science, technology and engineering, said Styspeck had given real time to each team, balancing support and challenge for students she sees only every other week. WTA Principal Bruce Hastings said she had gone above and beyond. Smith added that the students' success has inspired changes that will let even more students take part in the science fair in future years.
The bus carrying Westfield's student scientists got back to school around 7:30 p.m. on April 9, at the end of a long day at the DCU Center in Worcester. According to teacher Kristen Styspeck, everyone arrived safely and in good spirits, still smiling after hours at the Massachusetts High School Science & Engineering Fair.
Twelve finalists from the district made the trip. Eight came from Westfield High School: Adedipo Soyele, Alec Piepergerdes, Andy Liu, Giovanni Santaniello, Isabella Chalmers, Kaitlynn Goulette, Paige Mello and Teagan Chisholm-Godshalk. Four came from Westfield Technical Academy, which was making its first trip to the state fair: Ximena Pena Guerrero, Zar Iodlovskiy, Mason Matovich and Alexander Bousquet.
Styspeck, a WTA science teacher, went along with them. She was also the reason so many WTA students had projects in the first place. She was instrumental in getting 100 of her students involved in science projects this year. At the fair, she received one of three Student Support Awards, which recognize educators who help students see themselves as capable scientists and engineers.
The organizers' citation was specific about how she did it. It said she inspired students to watch for real-world problems in their vocational shops and turn those observations into meaningful scientific questions and potential solutions. It credited her commitment to equity, authentic inquiry and the idea that everyone is an engineer with expanding opportunities for students and strengthening the district's science fair program.
Styspeck described the day as long but rewarding. Students, she said, represented their school well and were engaged and enthusiastic. They also got to talk with professionals from a wide range of companies and institutions, among them Amazon, Sanofi Pharmaceuticals, Aylin Pharmaceuticals, Eversource, National Grid, Dell, Novartis, MIT, Clark University and WPI. Those conversations, she said, offered support, insight and advice about future academic and career paths.
Christina Smith, Westfield's supervisor of science, technology and engineering for grades 5 through 12, said the award was well deserved. She noted that WTA sent an unprecedented number of students into this year's science fair, and that 100 of them came from Styspeck's classes. Smith pointed out that each project is unique, and that a teacher has to spend real time with every team to understand its goals and strike the right balance of support and challenge. Styspeck managed that for a large number of students she sees only every other week, which Smith called truly amazing.
WTA Principal Bruce Hastings credited Styspeck's dedication, saying she has gone above and beyond so her students can extend their learning beyond the classroom.
The effects may reach past this year's group. Smith said the students' success and their positive feelings about taking part have inspired changes that will let even more students experience the science fair in the future. The specifics of those changes were not described.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Her students' success and their positive feelings about participating have inspired changes that will allow even more students to experience Science Fair in the future.— Christina Smith, Westfield supervisor of science, technology & engineering, grades 5-12
She has gone above and beyond to make sure her students can go beyond the classroom to further their learning.— Bruce Hastings, WTA principal
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