Phillips 66 to fund a new STEM-focused summer program at Westside Community Center

Westside Community Center will offer a special STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) summer program in 2023, thanks to a $15,000 grant from Phillips 66 awarded to WCC this past week.

Students will get hands-on, immersive full days of learning about STEM topics such as Animal and Plant Life Cycles, Weather Patterns, Properties of Matter, Space Science, Chemistry, and more. Among the equipment and supplies to be funded through the grant include portable microscopes and slides for the on-the-go study of biology and ecology during nature hikes.

“Our kids will have the opportunity to practice scientific concepts through fun and exciting projects,” said WCC Executive Director Chenin Patton. “They will be exploring STEM in real-life ways which they may not learn about in their regular classrooms.

“They will be challenged, taken to new places and given tools to see the world in new, unfamiliar ways. They will be out in the field one day, and back in the technology lab at WCC the next, conducting experiments and writing lab reports about what they learned. We hope this summer initiative will help spark a new passion for them, and even perhaps a future career path.

Guest speakers from Bartlesville’s scientific community will give the students a view of real-world STEM projects and applications in industry and research. Students will go on field trips to venues such as George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center, the Phillips 66 Museum, OK EATS and the Kiddie Farm (the new USDA-funded innovative non-profit with educational activities about Oklahoma’s energy and ag industries), Osage Hills State Park, the weather station at Bartlesville Regional Airport, and more.

Approximately 30 students from kindergarten through the sixth grade are expected to participate in the program.

As it continues to construct the program, WCC is asking current or retired STEM professionals who might like to volunteer to contact Patton at 918-336-6760.

The Westside Community Center is one of the oldest community organizations in Bartlesville. It has been the social, recreational, cultural and educational hub of the Westside of Bartlesville for generations. Current programs include an after-school program with a technology lab; the W.E. Prosper business internship program for teens who gain mentorship and real-life work experience; and Peaceful People, an innovative anti-bullying program for elementary students.

WCC is also host to GED classes, community forums, yoga, poetry night, chess club and many community events. Individuals may also rent the facility for private events such as reunions, anniversaries, birthdays and showers. The fees are affordable and can include the rental of the full kitchen. For more information, please visit wccbville.org or call the main WCC office at 918-336-6760.