How a middle school club’s success is inspiring students to dream big
By Danny Stipanovich
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MEDFORD, Oregon (KDRV) — Tuesdays at McLaughlin Middle School are special for students who participate in the SMILE Club with Ms. Loni Strong, where science is brought to life through engaging activities.
Over the summer, a select group of students won an all expenses paid trip to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center after competing in a science contest at Central Washington University.
After completing a series of space themed challenges that included working together to program a rover, fly drones and create and launch rockets. The team was one of nine clubs nationwide that earned a trip to Florida and watched two rockets launch.
“It was one of the craziest experiences of my life. Watching that rocket launch made me feel like, wow, I could be one of the people who makes that happen one day,” said Izzy Real, a seventh grader at McLoughlin Middle School.
For students like Izzy, hands-on experiments and group projects at the SMILE Club ignite curiosity and spark a passion for science.
“In the classroom I’m not as intrigued because we aren’t learning the things that I wanna know,” said Izzy.
The inspiration behind the club comes from when Mrs. Strong noticed one of her students, seventh grader Samuel Sunday, struggling to stay engaged during the school day.
“The curriculum doesn’t encourage kids to think outside the box. Sam was bored to tears,” Ms.Loni said. “I knew I needed to offer something more.”
“It’s more fun doing all this interactive stuff rather than just doing the stuff on a sheet of paper,” Samuel said.
Sunday said the club has created a safe third space for students that provides a valuable social and educational experience. Seventh grader Khloe Snow said the same.
“Me and my friends don’t really hang out outside of school, but we would look forward to the club to hang out and just learn together,” Snow said.
The club’s mission goes beyond teaching science; Mrs. Strong aims to show students how the world works.
SMILE Club emphasizes that science is more than memorizing the periodic table; it’s about equipping students with skills that can take them far beyond the classroom.
Play Video Students earned a trip to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center after winning a national science competition.
“Science is why kids want to read,” Ms. Strong said. “It’s not the other curriculum, it’s ‘how does the world work?’”
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