Green Lake has partnered with STEM to Stern, a national non-profit organization, to eliminate barriers to participation in rowing and STEM education for middle school students. Many students from underserved communities face barriers including lack of transportation and swimming competency, as well as cost and underrepresentation. STEM to Stern addresses these barriers through local and national partnerships to ensure that all students are able to participate on rowing teams, regardless of race, socioeconomic status or address. STEM to Stern enables rowing clubs to be more inclusive, competitive and accessible to everyone and uses rowing to unite students from different communities.

 

If you would like to get involved, please reach out to Haley Yeager at haley.yeager@seattle.gov

If you would like to donate to this program, please click the link below.

 

Donate to STEM to Stern

Summer Camp Recap 2024

The STEM to Stern summer rowing camps were held the first two weeks of August.

There were between 15 and 19 middle school rowers from Bitter Lake Community Center each week.  Four of those rowers started with us last summer.  We were very excited to welcome them back to the lake.
 
Each day of camp started with a STEM session.  The projects ranged from building structures with pasta and marshmallows and then testing them for strength, making a flashlight using batteries and LEDs and using tessellation (tiling the covering of a surface.)    Our STEM coordinator planned some intriguing projects for the kids.
 
The first day rowers were introduced to water safety rules and then spent time learning the stroke sequence on the ergs with the help of our high school volunteers.  After that it was time to get on the water.  This year the rowers went out in sweep boats along with volunteers. Even though some of them were on the small side their enthusiasm was huge.
 

 

The final day of camp ended with a BBQ and racing.  The BBQ was attended by younger kids from Bitter Lake who came to cheer on their friends.  A few parents were able to take in the racing and they were impressed with their rower’s efforts.   It was an action packed afternoon. 

Our Origins

In March 2022, Green Lake Crew entered into a partnership with STEM to Stern to make rowing more inclusive for middle schoolers in our community.  STEM to Stern is a national program whose goal is to expand the reach and accessibility of rowing across the United States, making it the largest rowing program focused on diversity, inclusion and competition in the country.  Green Lake Crew is one of twenty-five STEM to Stern programs nationwide.

In summer and fall 2022 we partnered with the Wallingford Boys and Girls club to successfully launch the STEM to Stern program.

In the spring of 2023, with the assistance of ARC (Associated Recreation Council), Bitter Lake Community Center was identified as having after school programs for middle schoolers from racially, ethnically and financially diverse backgrounds.  We work closely with the center director to promote our rowing program.

For more information on STEM to Stern, please go to:

https://www.stemtosternrowing.org/