OUR MISSION

WHY STEM?

Beaufort County alternates between a Tier I Tier 2 economic index, and is an 80% rural, economically-distressed region of eastern NC. Approximately 6,600 students are enrolled in Beaufort County Schools, a school district in which over 70% of students are low-income and qualify for free school meals. Many of these at-risk students “give up” and become complacent about their future and are underachievers. They receive little support or encouragement from their family structure regarding taking STEM classes in school or considering a science or technology career field. Our afterschool programs, summer camps, and special STEM Career Day programs will provide the support and self-confidence the students need to take STEM courses and consider STEM careers.

Supporting a hands-on approach to science and math.

  • Create a science enrichment program that will expose at-risk youth to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) by utilizing aviation, drones, boating, and renewable energy topics.
  • Improve the relationship between youth, the community, and first responders through a variety of community events.
  • Educate youth about the importance of fitness, diet and nutrition.
  • Develop good life-skills and decision making.

Curriculum

The IBX STEM curricula are designed by military/civilian flight instructors, aviation professionals, professional educators, and US Coast Guard Auxiliary Instructors. Our curricula improves the students’ competence in science through interactive instruction, hands-on activities, scientific inquiry, and field trips.

The NC state curriculum advocates the teaching of science in ways that are fun, engaging, and exciting. Our 5th-9th grade programs follows those recommendations and the protocols contained within the applicable Science, Physical Science and Physics sections as stipulated in the NC Science Essential Standards core objectives. Our programs are structured to allow for hands-on, inquiry-based exploration of replicable scientific principles, experimentation and technological designs relative to aviation, boating, and renewable energy.

Physics and Standard Science Components:

  1. Relationship between forces and motion
  2. Types of energy, conservation of energy and energy transfer
  3. Electricity and magnetism and their relationship
  4. Structure, classifications and physical properties of matter
  5. Characteristics of energy transfer and interactions of matter and energy
  6. The motion of the earth, moon, sun system, and the properties, structures and predictable motions of celestial bodies in the universe
  7. Effects of forces on motion and the graphical representations of motion
  8. Forms of energy, energy transfer and transformation, and conservation in mechanical systems
  9. How the cycling of matter (water and gases) in and out of the atmosphere relates to the Earth’s atmosphere, weather and climate and the effects of the atmosphere on aircraft and boats

    Life Skills Workshop

    During all our summer camps, we conduct a comprehensive and interactive segment in which the students engage in discussions about a variety of life-skills topics that cover the following points:

    Self-confidence
    Responsibility
    Teamwork
    Goal Setting
    Self-respect
    Peer pressure
    Good decision making
    Diversity

    Health Diet & Nutrition Workshop

    The students will learn about the value of making smart decisions about their health by discussing:

    The adverse consequences of poor decisions are explained to the youth by health care professional who participate as guest instructors.

    Biometric Health Risk Assessment Testing

    The adverse impact of substance abuse, drinking, and smoking