For years, students have been stuck exploring STEAM subjects (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) in a classroom that contains multiple subjects and not enough space. Although it took much longer than expected due to many obstacles, the reconstruction of the old grocery store on State Line Road has been completed. The Dan & Cassidy Towriss Idea Space KC allows students to explore their crafty and technical sides in a setting that is made specifically for them.
Bree Pusey, the Computer Science Facilitator for the Idea Space, thinks the building is an excellent opportunity for all. She believes, “The Idea Space is for a broader community than just Barstow, where everyone has access to education regardless of what school they attend.” This way, students are not limited by what their school offers or by what classes they must take, but instead by how far their imagination can truly take them.
Named the “Idea Space” for its catering to STEAM-specific subjects, primarily for younger students, the reconstructed grocery store offers an expansive learning opportunity for both Barstow students and non-Barstow students alike.
For Barstow’s lower-school students, the Idea Space provides an opportunity to dive into exciting and new topics. Kellye Crockett, the Vice President of Innovation at the new campus, explained, “Barstow’s lower-school students visit the building every week for a half-day, in the morning or afternoon. In order to accommodate this, teachers have been working to revise and revamp the curriculum, which means taking out the generic STEAM course and blending it in with the core classes.”
For Barstow’s middle and high school students, the new campus provides an environment specifically catered towards STEAM subjects. This allows students to have more room to work and even participate in brand-new classes! The Idea Space allowed for several new electives this year, including architecture, woodworking, and even interior design classes.
While many classes meet at the Idea Space, so do clubs and activities. “Many groups like Robotics, Middle School Lego Leagues, and the Cyberpatriots club meet at the building,” Ms. Crockett said.
While the space benefits many of the programs there, it also has various downsides. The Robotics Captain of Business/Outreach, Rian Jacobs (‘24), believes, “Having access to a bunch of tools is nice, but I was expecting a bigger space for the team. We are only given a fairly small room.” She also explained that the team is prohibited from displaying any awards or trophies outside of the room because Crockett “could not ensure the safety of it.”
Because of this, Jacobs explains, the team “has to display all of its trophies, awards, and banners in our room instead of using the display cases towards the front of the building.
Although the room may not be sizable, students and coaches believe the space they will have during the competition season is much more beneficial. New Robotics Head Coach Adam Arnold said, “We will hopefully have access to a room that is about the size of half a basketball court,” which he believes will benefit the team, as “practicing in larger venues is crucial for success, so we are not forced to spend half of our practice setting up and taking down items.”
However, the main goal of the Idea Space is not simply to benefit Barstow students. While the classes during the school day are geared toward Barstow students, there are options available for all students in the metro area. Pusey explains that the administration is working on a curriculum for K-12 students in the metro: “We have coding classes as well as introductions to virtual reality, and are working on developing curriculums for other schools.” Crockett adds on to that, explaining, “We also offer many afterschool programs, such as ‘Coding and Cupcakes,’ which meets every week for around a month.”
While “Coding and Cupcakes” may appeal to some, there are many more options for students to choose from who may like that idea. There are classes centered around middle school coding and virtual reality, as well as drone building and racing programs.
The building also offers opportunities for people to host events there. Crockett explains, “We have many courses that just last one day, and we also even have community partners like Girl Scouts who love to host workshops here!”
The Idea Space is a great opportunity for all students in the metro area, even if you don’t attend Barstow. Currently, the Idea Space has school partnerships with Center School District, Grandview C-4 School District, and the Barstow School, but that doesn’t mean students have to attend those schools. In fact, roughly 91,400 public school students live within an eight-mile radius of the campus, on both sides of the State Line.
Overall, the Idea Space offers students of all ages and backgrounds an opportunity to explore themselves. While classes and teams may run into issues or obstacles along the way, the building itself is a great strive for education for all. This campus gives students a place to let their imaginations wander and their curiosity show.
