Support science for our future. Make a gift to the Science Center’s YES Program to help support the Science Center’s education programs.
Featured photo by YES Teen Harmony Cooper
Guests at the Science Center on the weekend of October 29 and 30 got to experience science thrills and fun at the Science Center’s annual Halloween-themed Science Spooktacular. Between the two days, the free event provided over 5,000 people of all ages spooky (but family friendly) fun, allowing them to experience the Science Center’s STEAM galleries and exhibits, play a chilling round of mini-golf, catch special presentations at Energy Stage, and even see science go splat with a pumpkin drop. Plus, they got to meet some of the teens in the Science Center’s Youth Exploring Science (YES) Program’s Media Arts component as they practiced developing their 21st century STEAM skills.
At a face painting booth on the First Floor, YES Teen Zionna Anderson grabbed a paintbrush to help spread some holiday fun with the guests while also practicing her artistic skills. For Zionna it was an opportunity to get experience meeting and interacting with members of the public while also learning about working on a moving canvas and using oil-based paints.
The face painting activity proved to be a popular part of the event—at one point the booth even had a line that extended back to the entrance to the GROW Gallery.
But more importantly, Science Spooktacular was the first time that Zionna had the opportunity to paint faces, and it gave her a chance to develop some of the important 21st century STEAM skills the YES Program is known for imparting on its teens.
“When you’re face painting, you cannot erase, so if you make a mistake you have to figure out a way to cover it or turn it into an intentional part of the design,” says Jasmine Krueger, manager of YES’s Media Arts component. “It forces you to think creatively and solve problems in the moment.”
For what might seem at first glance as a simple, straightforward activity, Jasmine says, Zionna was able to gain experience and skills like working in a stressful environment. When painting faces, Jasmine explains, you have to contend with people watching you—everyone from the person whose face is being painted to parents, the people waiting in line, and other guests passing by.
“It’s a lot of pressure for all eyes to be on your drawing, so being able to focus on each person with confidence despite that takes time and can be very high pressure.”
In addition, requests for different types of designs helped Zionna draw on her artistic skills to adapt and decide how to approach a new drawing that she might not have had the opportunity to practice for.
Asked what she’d learned following the experience, Zionna said, “I learned [face painting is] a lot harder than it looks.”
Meanwhile, other YES Teens in the Media Arts component had the chance to practice their photography skills as they captured pictures of the event. In total, they took nearly 600 photos of the day’s activities and the St. Louis community members in attendance.
During the event, Jasmine explains, the teens had to go beyond simply snapping photos. They had to work with the manual settings on their cameras, technical skills that take time and practice to master. “Using manual settings forces you to set up the ISO [or the camera’s sensitivity to light], the shutter speed, and the aperture of the camera in order to get the best possible light to avoid fuzzy or grainy pictures.”
“The teens have also been working on framing their photos,” Jasmine says, “through the use of the rule of thirds and asymmetry.”
”What stood out to me from the event,” she says, “was seeing not just the teens’ excitement but also their professionalism. At one point guests confused them for outside vendor photographers, which I see as the highest compliment to their professionalism.”
For YES Teen Kayeden Ramsay Alexander the event also allowed him an opportunity to practice some fundamental skills like interpersonal communication. “Asking people if I could take their photos was a good conversation starter,” he says. “And I got to talk to lots of people and see some parts of the Science Center I [hadn’t seen before].”
Plus, the event was simply fun. “I got to play with a camera all day,” he says.
Jasmine points out that one of the unique benefits of the YES Program is providing access to real technology and equipment that teens might not otherwise have access to at home or at school. In the Media Arts component, that means DSLR cameras, as well as computers and software for editing photos.
“Learning the basics of photography will help give the teens in the Media Arts component a foundation, should they wish to pursue a career in media arts after the YES Program,” Jasmine says. “It also teaches them creative thinking and problem solving—21st century skills they can use in any area of life.”
STEAM programming delivered by the YES Teens both at the Science Center and in collaboration with the Science Center’s more than 60+ community partner organizations typically helps connect thousands of St. Louis community members with science and technology education programs each year.
Want to help support the YES Program? Consider making a gift to YES here.
Your Support
Support from donors, Science Center members, and Supporting-level members is instrumental in helping the Science Center continue offering connections to science for everyone in our region. If you’d like to show additional support for our mission, please consider donating to the Science Center’s Annual Fund, becoming a member, or becoming a Supporting-level member.
Your Impact
Want to learn more about how the Science Center and its supporters are making a difference for STEAM learning in the St. Louis region?
