Clermont Northeastern Middle School is proud to host one of the eight STEM Bicycle Clubs in Greater Cincinnati.
Fifteen CNE Middle School students are learning hands-on STEM skills while reverse engineering a bike during a 10 week program. Students were selected from over fifty applicants who completed an on-line worksheet and brief essay stating what building their own bike would mean to them. At the successful completion of the program, each student participant gets to keep the bike he/she has been working on.
The club is sponsored by The Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative and numerous corporate sponsors including Walmart, GE Aviation, Time Warner, Greater Cincinnati Urban League, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, and the University of Cincinnati. To help the students each week there are volunteer coaches from the community. The CNE coaches are employees of Park National Bank, the Village of Owensville Police Department, Lykins Energy, University of Cincinnati Clermont College, Clermont Northeastern and retired teachers.
Each week the students with the assistance of the volunteer coaches watch a short video of instruction, disassemble a specific bike section, improve or adjust one of the bicycle’s systems, re-assemble the bicycle system, discuss and write about the activity and its scientific basis, and reflect on the experience. Students develop their self -confidence while improving their mechanical ability, math and science understanding and writing skills. Getting to work weekly with adults from the community is an additional bonus.
The ten week program concludes with a May 30 celebration at the University of Cincinnati where students will compare bikes with the participants from the other seven area clubs and ride laps to earn the opportunity for a STEM Bicycle Club at CNE Middle School in spring 2016.
Follow our progress on Twitter on @clermontbclub@clermontbclub.