Riverview shows off STEAM curriculum to Gov. Wolf

Jamie Martines
Friday, Sept. 27, 2019 3:50 p.m. | Friday, Sept. 27, 2019 3:50 p.m.

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Jamie Martines | Tribune-Review

Gov. Tom Wolf shakes hands with Dino Yario, 12, of Oakmont, during a visit to Riverview Junior High School on Sept. 27.

Jamie Martines | Tribune-Review

Gov. Tom Wolf talks with Riverview High School seniors Alivia Schultheis, 16, of Verona; Hannah Lowe, 17, of Oakmont; Molly McCauge, 17, of Oakmont, Emma Galiardi, 17, of Verona and Victoria Zerbach, 17, of Oakmont, during a visit to Riverview Junior-Senior High School on Sept. 27, 2019.

Jamie Martines | Tribune-Review

Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, talks with Jamie Favo, 12, of Oakmont, about a coding lesson during a visit to Riverview Junior High School on Sept. 27, 2019.

Jamie Martines | Tribune-Review

Gov. Tom Wolf asks Elise Barnes, 12, of Oakmont, about a STEM lesson during a visit to Riverview Junior High School on Sept. 27, 2019.

Gov. Tom Wolf visited Riverview Junior-Senior High School in Oakmont on Friday to learn about the district’s efforts to prepare students for jobs in fields of STEAM — that’s science, technology, engineering, arts and math — and to tout his own plan for growing the workforce in those fields, PAsmart.

“I want to continue to invest the millions of dollars that we need to invest in STEM and STEAM, because I want to make sure that our kids take good-paying jobs that sustain their families, but even more important, sustain the economy of this commonwealth moving forward,” Wolf told school officials following a tour of seventh-grade classrooms participating in coding, robotics and computer science activities.

The Riverview School District was recently the recipient of a $35,000 PAsmart grant to support teacher training and computer science coursework for students in the district.

“Investing in STEAM experiences helps equip our students with the tools they will need to be successful in a global economy,” Eric Hewitt, Riverview Junior-Senior High School Principal, said in a statement.

The PAsmart program, led by the Wolf administration over the past two years, supports STEM programs in schools, job training facilities and other community partners.

In 2018, the administration awarded about $10 million in grants to 765 schools across the state to expand computer science courses. An additional $10 million was awarded to 24 schools for STEM programs.