Most people, if involved with education in any capacity, have heard of STEAM. The acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics, as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue and critical thinking. This is according to the Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM. It began in the early 2000’s out of a need to expand student education to comply and compete in today’s changing work world. These emphases have been incorporated into school curriculum.

For locals who are home-schooled, Dia Varano runs STEAM Club sessions at the Hughesville Library. “What I teach aligns with public school learning, but we play with the concepts in a more relaxed environment. As the school day gets more structured and focused on standards and testing, there is a growing need for informal educational spaces like libraries to fill out the gap, especially for kids who need tactile, visual and kinesthetic experiences. Because of smaller class numbers, I’m able to give them more support,” Verano says.

Verano began her program by teaching Home-school sessions during the day for those who didn’t attend public school and an after-school session for those who did. “Now,” she says, “I just run the Home-school sessions until I can figure out the scheduling. It’s a family program, so all ages can participate, including adults. I’ve had families participate, and toddlers through teenagers in the classes.” Verona teaches in themes, which usually run for one to two months. Themes have been, Contraptions; Mouse Mazes; Garden; Builders, in which they made small buildings with cob (earth plaster) and stone and mortar. Their current theme is Woodworking/Dollhouse. “Everything,” Verona explains, “is cross-disciplinary, hands-on, exploratory. I introduce them to techniques, materials, history, tools, and then they find their way into the projects in their own ways. This encourages critical thinking.

Dia Verano teaches and works part-time at the circulation desks at Muncy and Hughesville Libraries. She has an MA in Art Education from CUNY, City College in NYC, as well as a NYS Teacher Certification in Visual Art, K-12. She did interdisciplinary studies for her BA at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA. She is presently taking classes at PennWest Online toward an MSLS degree.