DULUTH, MN -- STARBASE is an organization with a mission.
They equip students with educational opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
Monday marked their first day of in-person operation since the pandemic and after a massive expansion.
STARBASE Director Charity Johnson said the new facility is inspiring the next generation of leaders in the STEM field.
"They're really acting like scientists and engineers but at a 5th-grade level," Johnson said.
Based at the 148th Fighter Wing in Duluth, students are immersed in hands-on learning.
"It's important for kids to learn about STEM because it's all around them," Johnson said. "It's in their everyday life. It's in their work life. We want to open their eyes to that and what their possibilities are."
The Duluth campus first opened in 2017, and it quickly reached capacity.
With the new facility, STARBASE will be able to host 2,300 students every year, which is double the number they could previously take.
Johnson said the larger capacity will allow them to reach more people all across Northern Minnesota.
"What we often see are kids who think that maybe they're not good at math or not good at science," she said. "We bring them up here and they just flourish because they're in such a different environment and they see learning in such a different way than maybe they normally do in their traditional classroom."
During the one-week program, students learn about careers in STEM and methods of problem-solving.
STARBASE Instructor Makaila Miller said she enjoys seeing the 5th graders overcome challenges.
"A lot of the things we do are challenging for them, especially when they're working in teams, and so it's fun to see them stick with it and get really excited about accomplishing something."
While STEM skills do not come easy to many, STARBASE is equipping students with tools for life.
"Failure is not a bad thing," Johnson said. "You learn more from those failures than you do from your successes, and it's something we celebrate here."
STARBASE is funded through the Department of Defense, state funds, and private donors.
Schools that want to send their students to STARBASE can now get on the waitlist for the next school year.
There is also a virtual-learning option available.
Click here for more information.
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