Students in the Chula Vista Elementary School District will be making more trips to the Chula Vista Public Library.
But these students will not visit the library to check out the latest Harry Potter book, but to embrace science, technology, engineering and math skills.
A partnership among Qualcomm, the Chula Vista Elementary School District and the city of Chula Vista opened Innovation Station or Thinkabit Lab in the basement of the Chula Vista Civic Center Library.
The Qualcomm inspired station creates group projects for sixth-grade students where they have to use science; technology, engineering and math to find out how certain projects work and figure out what they want to create.
“We value public-private collaboration that helps foster STEM education,” said Anthony Millican, a district spokesman.
“We think it can change the lives of our students.”
Millican said the lab provides students in the district with the same access and opportunities as other students in more affluent districts.
Millican said the Thinkabit lab helps students explore careers in engineering, coding and computer programming.
The concept for the Thinkabit lab started in March 2014 in Sorrento Valley. The district would often send their students north to use the lab but it became a challenge, Millican said. So Feaster Charter School said they would convert a classroom into a Thinkabit lab and provide that type of curriculum at the school.
The Thinkabit lab at Feaster proved to be a success garnering them many awards. The district then had the idea to expand this program district-wide for every sixth-grade student. That’s when they decided to enter a partnership with Qualcomm and the city.
“The kids love it here,” said Betty Waznis, library director.
Waznis said the library is not leasing or renting space to the elementary school district and that their partnership is indefinite.
An engineering teacher has an office space in the basement.
Waznis said the library had to go through some renovations in order to be turned into an Innovation station. The carpet had to be pulled and replaced and the walls painted.
Waznis said this is a Qualcomm branded concept s they had to put in certain colors and looks that they wanted.
