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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Victorious Raiders parade trophy through downtown Ashland State police search for pursuit suspect near Hyatt Lake Police Reports Cheering on the champs Ashland's Safeway part of Haggen acquisition Education For a friend: AHS seniors team up to help former fellow student Ashland builds a bridge across the STEM gap Chicken pox hits Ashland Middle School AHS speech and debate team to compete in Medford Ashland: Lions Club steps up for vision tests Environment New TAP pumps bolster Ashland's options Most residents speak against gas pipeline proposed for Southern Oregon Home Help: Make your new house feel like home ‘Tis the season — for wild mushrooms Business Ashland's Safeway part of Haggen acquisition The Playwright pub will be serving again Saturday Mt. 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State police search for pursuit suspect near Hyatt Lake ... Raiders bring it home ... Victorious Raiders parade trophy through downtown Ashland ... State police search for pursuit suspect near Hyatt Lake ... Raiders bring it home ... SOROPTIMIST REPORT Ashland builds a bridge across the STEM gap Comment By Carolyn Johnson Ashland Soroptimists DailyTidings.com By Carolyn Johnson Ashland Soroptimists Posted Dec. 18, 2014 @ 12:01 am By Carolyn Johnson Ashland Soroptimists Posted Dec. 18, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News Fourth- and fifth-grade girls at Helman Elementary School had the opportunity this fall to participate in a six-week Soroptimist Strong Girls Strong Women after school program sponsored by Soroptimist International of Ashland. The week before Thanksgiving, 12 girls in the program dissected machines as the final project of an engineering unit led by teachers Teresa Yurchis and Lara Worcester. Close to 90 percent of high school graduates say they are not interested in careers or college majors in science, technology, engineering or math — also known as STEM subjects — according to a survey of more than 1 million students who take the ACT test. The number of students wanting to follow engineering or computer sciences is falling while the demand for trained people is rising. By the year 2018 there will be 2.4 million STEM job openings, but will there be people wanting to fill them? In 2010 the Ashland School District discovered that girls in this district were almost twice as likely as boys to fail the state science test. Up through the third grade, the learning curve between boys and girls is about the same, but by fourth grade the gender gap begins to happen and it continues to widen as girls get older. Soroptimist International of Ashland wants to catch these girls before the gap widens. The girls at Helman Elementary have been busy making edible go-karts, building bridges from toothpicks and marshmallows and making kites to study flight, in addition to dissecting microwaves, printers and keyboards. The point of the program is to introduce science and engineering to these girls so their interest is piqued. Once the girls discover they can build bridges, go-karts and more, they discover it can be fun as well. The hope is that when we show girls they can do it, the gender gap will close. Other schools across the state are picking up the ball and showing girls that the fields of science, technology, engineering and math are not just for boys. Sherwood High School in the Portland area offers a popular class called Imagine, Design and Build it — No Boyz Allowed. Classes like this and programs such as the Soroptimist Strong Girls Strong Women here in Ashland show girls that they don’t have to impress other people, they can be themselves and still do amazing things in these fields. When asked why she does this, teacher Teresa Yurchis answered, “Girls empowerment is important. It makes them feel confident, smart and capable in the real world.” This will not only lead to self-esteem and confidence in so many young women, but a push toward a much-needed transformation in these fields. The girls’ faces at Helman that Tuesday before Thanksgiving lit up when they saw they were going to break into those machines and figure out what makes them tick. There was excitement in the air for the prospect of discovery. The next session of Soroptimist Strong Girls Strong Women — Careers will begin in February when the girls will visit women doing business and professional jobs. Once the door is open, there is no stopping girls from continuing the adventure. Carolyn Johnson is chair of the Ashland Soroptimist Public Awareness Committee.  By Carolyn Johnson Ashland Soroptimists DailyTidings.com By Carolyn Johnson Ashland Soroptimists Posted Dec. 18, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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