Co-Curricular
The PCA STEM program offers co-curricular opportunities to assist in teaching students in the program including STEM competitions, STEM Honors Program, and PCA and third-party sponsored STEM-related workshops and camps.
Competition
Students get the opportunity to participate in STEM competitions to increase their overall experience and understanding of the program. In the 2021-22 school year, approximately 60 PCA Middle and Upper School students competed in Science Olympiad. PCA has competed at invitational competitions at Harvard University, the University of Texas and Rice University. Both our Middle and Upper Schools advance to the State competition annually.
In addition to Science Olympiad, other competitions include: Math Olympics, Destination Imagination, First Lego League and others.
Honors Program
Students participating in the STEM Honors Program in the Upper School are involved in a unique enrichment program including guest speakers, field trips, and outside studies. STEM Honors students work on advanced STEM-related coursework consisting of interdisciplinary projects and outside study. Students are required to attend program meetings and STEM-related field trips.
Field trips have included: The Perot Museum, UT Southwest Medical Center, Cisco Data Center, Intelligent Design Conference and a visit to NASA.
Workshops
PCA hosts workshops and camps, such as programming and electronics workshops on Saturdays, for students interested in growing their technical skills and knowledge of their coursework.
Example workshops hosted by PCA include: Intro to Electronics, Animation & Games with JavaScript, First Aid/CPR, Arduino & Raspberry Pi Projects