Jillian Coleman
Staff Writer
Mentors from Tinker Air Force Base participated in a STARBASE 2.0 graduation ceremony with Carl Albert Middle School on April 19.
STARBASE 2.0 is a mentoring program emphasizing science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. Targeting sixth, seventh and eighth grade students, STARBASE 2.0 prioritizes schools with high percentages of at-risk students.
Chad Unruh, right, electronics engineer with the 555th Software Maintenance Squadron, watches students from Carl Albert Middle School as they attempt to make their robotics project work. The seventh and eighth grade students meet twice a week with STARBASE and Tinker mentors to learn about STEM related subjects. Unruh has volunteered with STARBASE for four years and was recently recognized at State Mentor Day at the Oklahoma State Capitol as an outstanding mentor. (Air Force photo by Kelly White)
Aiming to support STEM in schools, the mentoring club meets twice a month at Carl Albert Middle School. “STARBASE’s great success is attributed to our mentors. We are able to have smaller groups because we’ve had such a significant number of mentors. That allows for more one-on-one time between a mentor and mentee. Tinker has always given us awesome mentors, and this year was certainly no exception,” said Trevor Pratt, STARBASE mentor.
Carl Albert Middle School has hosted STARBASE 2.0 the last six years and has assumed the flagship role, conducting projects from remote control airplanes to Lego Mindstorms EV3 robots.
Longtime STARBASE mentor and STEM advocate Chad Unruh, an electronics engineer with the 555th Software Maintenance Squadron at Tinker, described mentoring comparable to farm work.
“Part of our jobs as mentors and as educators is to plow a field,” he said. “Water it, and allow us to plant the seeds of ideas for future life.” In working in very technical environments, the engineer said it is important for mentors to plant those seeds and to continue to invest in the growing generations. He encouraged his mentees, regardless of the career path they should choose, to learn how to address and approach problems and apply skills learned from STARBASE in future endeavors.
According to the Department of Defense program, 21 percent of Oklahoma fourth graders and 34 percent of eighth graders do not meet the basic science standards, per the 2015 National Assessment of Education Progress. Scores in math reflected similar trends, with 16 percent below the basic requirements in fourth grade and 33 percent below by eighth grade.
Its mission is to combine STEM activities with a relationship rich, school-based environment to provide a missing link for at-risk youth making the transition from elementary to middle school. Extending the positive impact of STARBASE through a team mentoring approach solidifies a student’s attachment to, and engagement with school.
For more information visit www.dodstarbase.org or www.starbaseok.org.