About Us And Our Program
About Us
Winchester STARBASE has been engaging and inspiring our youth in STEAM activities since 2012.
Showing the possibilities for every students’ future is accomplished through the instructors and the learning environment, guest speakers and military members. Each class receives a tour of the Winchester Readiness Center, an Army National Guard facility, and has a guest speaker from the community. Guest speakers include medical personnel, engineers, programmers, author and anti-terrorism specialist, historical experts, connecting with the International Space Station, law enforcement canine trainers, STEM flights, and many more.
In addition to our 5th grade program, we also provide outreach activities in the community. STARBASE has a STEAM after-school Advanced Program at James Wood Middle School in the fall, provide summer camps, and teach programming and technology activities to high school JROTC students during their summer leadership camps.
Our Staff
Dr. Susan Corrigan
Program DirectorCall sign “Sparky”
Sabrina Ramey
InstructorCall sign “Galaxy”
Debby Putman
Deputy DirectorCall sign “Comet”
Matthew Grooms
InstructorCall sign “Runner”
Brian Potter
Information TechnologyCall sign “Cosmic”
James Wonsetler
InstructorCall sign “Orion”
Program Description
DoD STARBASE is a premier educational program sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. At DoD STARBASE, students participate in challenging “hands-on, minds-on” activities in Science, Technology, Engineering & Art/Design, and Mathematics (STEAM). They interact with military personnel and civilian guest speakers to explore careers and observe STEAM applications in the “real world.” The program provides students with 25 hours of stimulating experiences at National Guard, Marine, Air Force Reserve, Army, Air Force, and Space Force bases across the nation.
DoD STARBASE’s primary focus is the program for fifth graders. The goal is to motivate them to explore STEAM opportunities as they continue their education.
The program engages students through the inquiry-based curriculum with its “hands-on, minds-on” experiential activities. Winchester STARBASE chose a customized curriculum from a large offering of peer-reviewed learning opportunities in each STEAM area from the national program, such as: Newton’s Laws and chemical reactions, robotics, and engineering as they use the computer to design space stations, all-terrain vehicles, and submersibles. Mathematics is embedded throughout the curriculum and students use metric measurement, estimation, calculation geometry, and data analysis to solve questions. Teamwork is stressed as they work together to explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate concepts.
Advanced Program
In 2010, STARBASE offerings expanded to include STARBASE 2.0, a unique school-based afterschool program that targets 6th to 8th graders. The program takes place in partnering schools that have expressed the desire for additional DoD STARBASE program resources. In 2021, this part of the program was expanded again to include offerings for secondary students across the country and rebranded as STARBASE Advanced.
As with other school-based afterschool mentoring programs, DoD STARBASE Advanced is highly structured and is intended to help support school goals by increasing student interest and knowledge in STEAM, increasing engagement with school, and increasing STEAM career awareness. Individual programs use a variety of different team projects to achieve these goals. STEAM projects include topics like Scalextrics, robotics, rocketry, engineering, physics, FIRST LEGO League, solar cars, chemistry, technology, and aerospace. Mentors play a vital role in the success of the program by serving as successful STEAM professional coaches and role models.
Military volunteers apply abstract principles to real-world situations by leading tours and giving lectures on the use of STEAM in different settings and careers. Since the academies are located in different branches of the military this experience is highly varied. Students may discuss how chemical fires are extinguished, learn how injured are transported, or explore the cockpit of an F-18 or the interior of a submarine.
Winchester STARBASE is located on the Winchester Army National Guard, which is home to the 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
https://www.facebook.com/3rdBattalion116thInfantry/.
Why STARBASE?
- In 2022, 36% of fourth-grade students performed at or above the NAEP Proficient level on the mathematics assessment.
- The percentage of ACT-tested graduates meeting the ACT STEM Benchmark in 2019 was 20%.
- Over the next 10 years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects STEM jobs to grow by 10.8%, far outpacing the 2.8% projected growth across all occupations.
- Computer occupations make up nearly 45% of STEM employment.
- Only 20% of US high school graduates are prepared for college-level coursework in STEM majors.
- Median annual wages for STEM occupations were $95,420, compared to $40,120 for non-STEM occupations.
Standards Of Learning
We partner with school districts to reinforce the standards of learning by delivering fun, hands-on activities that bring classroom lessons to life and put learning into practice.
Opportunities Available
Youth are empowered to explore a world of careers they may have never imagined, guided by passionate professionals who share real-life stories and experiences from their journeys in STEAM fields.
Passion For Learning
Subjects that students often find challenging are brought to life through hands-on, fun, and engaging activities that spark curiosity—helping them discover joy in learning and potentially inspiring future passions or careers.
Our Vision
To be the premier Department of Defense youth outreach program for raising the interest in learning and improving the knowledge and skills of our nation’s youth so that we may develop a highly educated and skilled American workforce who can meet the advance technological requirements of the Department of Defense.
Our Mission
To expose our nation’s youth to the technological environments and positive civilian and military role models found on Active, Guard, and Reserve military bases and installations, nurture a winning network of collaborators, and build mutual loyalty within our communities, by providing 25 hours of exemplary hands-on STEAM instruction and activities that meet or exceed the national standards.