The STEM program at Revere High School is giving students more opportunities to learn and study this career-readying field with a new classroom and upgraded modern equipment.

Joe Silvestri, the STEM teacher at Revere, described why the move was necessary.

“We moved mainly because we needed more space and because this room is bigger and allowed me to set up the VEX robotics competition field for my Robotics I and II classes for class competitions, and also for the Engineering club to prepare for competitions after school,” Silvestri said.

Silvestri also talked about the new equipment he received this year and what it does.

“I got a lot of new equipment this year. We received surveying equipment for the Civil Engineering class, a new heat press and vinyl cutting machine to make T-shirts for my Digital Design class, a new 3D printer that is bigger and better than my other ones, some hand tools like levels, squares, and hand saws, a new drill press and a disc sander, a wind tunnel, new computer software called AutoCAD Revit and new robotics competition kits,” Silvestri said.

Silvestri discussed the new classes and other changes to the program that he will be offering next year.

“Next year, there’s going to be a Civil Engineering and Architecture class, which is a Project Lead the Way (PLTW) class. Project Lead the Way is a national organization that has developed engineering curriculum that is being taught all over the world. Also, the Robotics II class will be changing from a one trimester class to a two trimester class, and will be offered in the fall and winter trimesters, and we’re going to do the VEX robotics competitions from the class itself. This year is also the last year for the engineering club, so if you wanted to do robotics after that you would have to do it through VEX or through my Robotics classes,” Silvestri said.

Silvestri also elaborated on what STEM is all about and why it is important to have experience for future careers.

“STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. We don’t have to think of STEM as just engineering and architecture; lots of jobs are requiring you to have the math, science, and technology skills behind you, even skilled trades such as carpentry, being a machinist, being an electrician, and so on. All three of my Project Lead the Way classes will be worth college credit, and if you take my Intro to Engineering and Design class, there will be an opportunity to earn an AP certificate now that the College Board is on board with Project Lead the Way. Technology is always changing and getting more complex, so it’s important to learn it,” Silvestri said.

Students commented about the STEM classes they have taken and their experiences while taking them. Junior Shanna Szymanski talked about what classes she has taken in the STEM lab and her experiences with the program.

“I have taken Drafting and Digital Design, and right now I’m in Advanced Digital Design. I liked all of the classes, as they are really fun and you get to create projects using computer programs, such as Adobe Illustrator, as well as designing and creating your projects,” Szymanski said.

Sophomore Roger Mortimer talked about how the skills that students are learning help them in real-world situations.

“The skills I’ve learned have definitely helped me in real life. They have helped me to be able to help when we were renovating my house, and I also helped with redesigning my Dad’s office at work,” Mortimer said.

The Revere STEM lab is located right across from the cafeteria in room 140.