CCS in Focus | Girls in STEM
Girls in STEM event connects multilingual students to engineering careers through CCS STEM pipeline
Cabarrus County Schools hosted an engineering challenge that had students designing, building, testing and revising—supported by mentors and anchored in real-world career exposure.
Cabarrus County Schools hosted a Girls in STEM engineering event that brought together students from across the district’s STEM pipeline for a hands-on design challenge centered on the engineering cycle: design, build, test and revise.
Students from elementary, middle and high school levels worked in teams and rotated through two activities: building vehicles with K’Nex kits and designing balloon-powered cars using simple materials such as cardboard, wheels, tape and balloons. At the end of each session, teams tested their vehicles for distance and made changes based on results.
The event was designed as an all-girls experience with an intentional focus on multilingual female students, according to STEM coach Lara Cabaniss.
“We’re specifically targeting our multilingual girls,” Cabaniss said. “These are students who don’t always get the chance to shine in the classroom.”
— STEM coach Lara Cabaniss
District STEM leaders said the goal is to give students early exposure to STEM problem-solving and to help more girls picture themselves in STEM careers before they disengage from those pathways.
“This is a STEM pipeline event,” said STEM coach Kate Highsmith. “The pipeline is the path through our four STEM elementary schools, three STEM middle schools and two STEM high schools.”
Highsmith said Cabarrus County Schools’ pipeline approach is built to keep opportunities connected as students progress from elementary to high school. Cabaniss said that connection matters because students who do not see STEM as “for them” can drift away from STEM opportunities over time, especially if they lack representation or exposure.
Mentors from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s engineering program supported student teams throughout the day, helping guide discussion and problem-solving while students worked through the design process.
Organizers said hosting the event at Hendrick Motorsports strengthened the career-exposure piece by placing students in a setting connected to engineering work that exists in the community.
“There are opportunities right here, literally in our backyard,” Highsmith said.
— STEM coach Kate Highsmith
The event was made possible through grant support from the Cabarrus County Education Foundation. Hendrick Motorsports provided the venue, and the UNC Charlotte Engineering Department partnered with Cabarrus County Schools to provide mentors.
Cabarrus County Schools has nine STEM schools in its pipeline. Event organizers said the Girls in STEM focus is part of a broader effort to expand participation and ensure students who are historically underrepresented in STEM fields see themselves reflected in future opportunities.