This past week, we had the pleasure of interviewing Ryan and Hilary Shore, the founders of Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead. They live right here in Fort Myers -- the same community they work in. Hilary and Ryan are lifelong educators, with backgrounds in elementary education, who have two children of their own. Ryan taught gifted Math and Science for seven years in Collier County, at the 4th and 5th grade level. Hilary was a K-5 music teacher in Collier County as well, and she continues to teach music at Rayma C Page in Lee County -- even now, after taking time off to focus on family and Full STEAM Ahead.
We learned a lot of wonderful things from the interview, including the difference between STEM and STEAM, and how they incorporate STEAM into their 500+ unique lessons for kids. The programs and lessons are suited for Kindergartners through age 14, depending on the time of year.
Q: How did the idea of Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead come into fruition?
A: When we started Full STEAM Ahead back in 2014, the idea of STEM and STEAM were still fairly new. We were immediately drawn to STEAM because of the possibility of combining our skill sets and passions. Ryan’s a big science and tech nerd, and Hilary is a musician and artist. Mix that together with our education background and our desire to create something that could benefit kids who share those passions, and voilà, Full STEAM Ahead was born.
Q: What do you find personally rewarding about running Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead?
A: First, it’s got to be the most fun job in the world. There’s days where I play Minecraft with the kids for 3 hours because we are trying to build a massive space station or recreate the Giza Plateau. We’re always working on something fun, creative, and high interest.
The most rewarding part, though, has got to be the transformation in confidence that we see with students that attend our program regularly. A major part of our goal is to help kids discover new passions and skills that they don’t normally get a chance to dive deep into. In doing so, there is a very noticeable shift in confidence when STEAM students approach a new challenge. A lot of students that come to us struggle in reading or math, or have a difficult time socially because they don’t have the same interests as their peers. However, after attending Full STEAM Ahead for some time they become fearless in solving new problems, make friends that share their interests, and are empowered to use their creativity and their new skills. These are major life skills that they carry with them, and seeing kids grow these over time is endlessly rewarding.
Q: What does S.T.E.A.M. stand for, and how is it different from “STEM”?
A: STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Traditionally, STEAM is Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math, however we like to sub in Music for the M because it is an important cornerstone of our program.
STEAM is different because it acknowledges the many common overlaps between STEM and the Arts, and puts kids in positions to practice both at the same time. STEM is great, but STEAM brings it to a whole new level.
Q: How are the programs offered by Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead, different from other programs?
A: The term “STEAM” has become a catch all term in education pretty much any time any science, technology, engineering, art, or math is done. We’ve seen STEAM used to describe arts and crafts projects, reading science textbooks, and memorizing multiplication facts. To us, STEAM is when we start to combine and overlap those disciplines in meaningful ways. Our program is different because kids are constantly engaging and overlapping each discipline through our 500+ unique lessons that we’ve developed. We have also created a “makerspace” like learning environment and allow kids time to choose their favorite activity, where they can be free to create with friends in whatever manner they choose. One day, they're designing and coding a video game in Roblox using 3D modeling, coding, music, and graphic design. The next day, they're building and programming a robot. In our many years in education, we’ve yet to see anything like it!
Q: What is one goal you hope to accomplish from your STEAM programs?
A: We’re very proud to say that we’re witnessing one of our major goals in real time. Our first group of students is now heading off to college, and many of the ones that have kept in touch have not only volunteered and worked at Full STEAM Ahead throughout high school, but have chosen STEAM majors and career choices. Our biggest goal is to help kids discover hidden passions and talents, and then provide the environment to nurture them. It’s happening!
Q: How do you encourage parents to support their child’s education?
A: Remember that education doesn’t stop at Math and Reading. While those are obviously very important for future success, so are problem solving, perseverance, self-guided learning, and idea generation. If you’re not giving kids plenty of time to practice those things, you should be!
Q: What is the greatest challenge you face with your programs/students?
A: The greatest challenge we face is continuing to evolve as our students, our world, and our technology changes. We’ve positioned ourselves on the cutting edge of educational enrichment, and we plan to stay there! However, that requires an enormous amount of work, tech, and creativity.
Q: What can our community do to help support your business?
A: Tell your friends! Once families find us, they come in droves and always leave happy. However, being a small program, it can be hard to simply get the word out about our programs and what we do.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
A: When kids are here, they never feel like they are learning. Some would argue, however, that they are doing the most important learning of their lives. Our programs are not only seriously beneficial, they are a ton of FUN!
Click here for Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead business directory information.
After School Program
Full STEAM Ahead’s flagship after school program in Fort Myers is the gold standard for academic enrichment. Our one-of-a-kind embedded classes can only be found here and are designed and taught by expert teachers and administrators.
There’s a reason we say that Full STEAM Ahead is “the smartest choice you can make after school.” Not only will your kids get smarter and learn amazing tech and tools, they will practice the most important thinking skills they will ever need on the regular. Perseverance, problem solving, idea generation, and self guided learning? They come standard.
Fort Myers After School Programs run Monday - Thursday, from 3pm - 6pm, for ages 5-11. Classes start 8/8/22 and end 6/6/23.
Monday: The smartest thing you can do after school on a Monday! Full STEAM Ahead's after school program is a cut above the rest. Every day after school, students learn STEM, Arts, and have a ton of fun with friends. TRANSPORTATION AVAILABLE! STEM - Minecraft --> Learn scientific and historical concepts through collaborative Minecraft challenges. Art - Animation --> Students will take a journey through the principles of animation, and then flex their animation muscles as they create using different mediums and styles. Students will use stop motion animation, illustration, Scratch, and more to create different types of Animations.
Tuesday: The smartest thing you can do after school on a Tuesday! Full STEAM Ahead's after school program is a cut above the rest. Every day after school, students learn STEM, Arts, and have a ton of fun with friends. STEM - Robotics and Coding --> Build robots, learn to code video games, and bring learning to life! Art - Music Technology --> Learn music theory while creating digital music through a variety of methods
Wednesday: The smartest thing you can do after school on a Wednesday! Full STEAM Ahead's after school program is a cut above the rest. Every day after school, students learn STEM, Arts, and have a ton of fun with friends. STEM - Science! --> Weekly science experiments, explorations, chemical reactions, and fun with physics! Students will perform experiments, explore a fictional solar system through Kerbal Space Program, learn about rocket physics, and much more. Art - YouTube Creators --> Some of the best video artists in the game are making it big with something that didn't exist a generation ago: YouTube. In this class, students will learn the art behind recording videos, editing videos, using filters, balancing color, creating good story lines, and much more while they create content for a fictional (or real--with parent permission) YouTube channel.
Thursday: The smartest thing you can do after school on a Thursday! Full STEAM Ahead's after school program is a cut above the rest. Every day after school, students learn STEM, Arts, and have a ton of fun with friends. STEM - 3D Printing --> Learn how to generate and modify 3D models and how to operate a 3D Printer. Create dozens of 3D models of everything from boats to entire cities, and 3d print scaled versions Art - Smart Art --> Art meets science for hands on projects and models
***Free transportation is included from select schools. If you are currently at a school that we don't yet visit, we are always looking to add new schools, so long as there are enough kids to pick up there!
Daily and Weekly sign ups are available, and there is NO long term commitment or extra fees. Enroll or cancel anytime.
Fort Myers ASP Details: Hours: 3-6 PM Mon - Thur
Cost: $29/day (or $100/wk for all 4 days)
Pickup available from: Heights, Rayma C Page
Location: 1901 Brantley Rd #12, Ft. Myers, FL 33907
Registration Link: https://fullsteamaheadfl.com/ft-myers-after-school-program/or the Parent Portal
After School Program Activities
Minecraft
Students work collaboratively and creatively through a series of academic-based challenges in the world of Minecraft. Sample projects include building a scale model of the International Space Station and exploring ancient ruins to learn about archaeology. Advanced students even get a chance to work with commands, command blocks, custom resource packs, and redstone.
Music Tech
Music is a universal language that kids from all backgrounds and ability levels can appreciate. However, there can be kind of a steep learning curve with a lot of music! Our Music Tech class combines two of our favorite things, Music and Technology, to make learning music more accessible and more fun.
Robotics and Coding
If the future is run by machines, and those machines are run by people… Among other things, learning to code is an essential skill for today’s kids. Why learn to code while staring at a computer screen? Why not build and program robots to complete Moon missions, engage in battle, or save the world? Learn coding and robotics the fun way!
Smart Art
In Smart Art, our students get a chance to unlock their creativity and learn art techniques in a relaxing, stress free atmosphere. Kids work on independent projects guided by our art teachers all while building confidence, making friends, and developing thinking skills that will last a lifetime.
Design Day
With so many fun and educational things to do at Full STEAM Ahead, why limit yourself to just one? Design takes the best of everything and cycles through our all-star cast of STEAM activities. Design rockets, bridges, houses, and much more!
Animation
With as big an impact as cartoons are on most children (and maybe we’re projecting here), why not teach them how to create their own? Animation is a brilliant combination of art and science that gets children flexing their creative and artistic muscles while thinking and planning strategically. What’s not to love about that!
3D Printing & Modeling
3D Printing has the potential to have a profound impact on just about all aspects of our lives. From the food we eat to the clothes we wear and the cars we drive, 3D printers can make them all. In our 3D Printing and Modeling Class, students will learn how to design their own 3D models and will get the opportunity to make them come alive with the magic of 3D Printing.
Science!
From spaceflight physics using Kerbal Space Program to liquid nitrogen experiments, our “Science!” class at Full STEAM Ahead will keep kids coming back for more. Experiments, explosions, and good old fashioned science fun every week!
Important Links:
Mini Camps (Holiday and Inservice Day breaks)
