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STEM City Newsletter
December/Holiday 2025 Edition
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Welcome to the Flagstaff STEM City Newsletter
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We’re excited to bring you the latest highlights, updates, and opportunities from across our vibrant STEM community. Each month, you’ll receive a newsletter that celebrates local innovation, showcases upcoming events, and connects Flagstaff to the broader national STEM landscape.
From hands-on activities and inspiring student projects to professional development and community partnerships, our goal is to keep you informed and engaged in the many ways STEM continues to shape our schools, city, and future.
Thank you for being part of our mission to make Flagstaff a hub for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Together, we’re building curiosity, creativity, and opportunity for learners of all ages.
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Celebrating Computer Science Education Week
December 8 – 14
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Exploring AI & Future Careers
Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek) is a national celebration that highlights the importance of computer science in education and the role technology plays in our everyday lives. This year’s theme is AI & How CS Powers AI and invites students of all ages to explore how artificial intelligence works and how they can help shape the future.
Early computer science learning builds essential skills like problem-solving, creativity, logical thinking, and responsible technology use. As students grow, these foundations expand into programming, robotics, cybersecurity, and AI, unlocking exciting career opportunities in healthcare, sustainability, aerospace, creative media, and more.
Free Activities for Classrooms & Families
Encourage students to explore CS and AI with these easy, free resources:
For additional information and free resources visit:
https://www.techlearning.com/learning/stem/best-free-hour-of-ai-hour-of-code-lessons-and-activities.
Even one hour of computer science can spark curiosity and inspire a lifelong love of learning.
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Looking for gifts that spark creativity and curiosity? Check out our STEM-Related Gift Ideas, featuring fun, hands-on toys and projects for learners of all ages! 🎁✨ Many options are available locally, and our links make it easy to explore more details and variations from great brands like Snap Circuits, National Geographic and more. KiwiCo has subscriptions available for year-round excitement!
Hands-on learning builds problem-solving skills, confidence, and a deeper understanding of how the world works while kids are having a blast experimenting and creating. Great STEM learning can happen with items you already have at home too. Reuse cardboard, gift wrapping paper, containers, art supplies, and more to build, test, and explore.
Support STEM learning and local businesses when you can! 💙
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PLANETS Units Have Landed
Free NASA-Funded Out-of-School Time Curriculum
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PLANETS (Planetary Learning Advancing the Nexus of Engineering, Technology, and Science) just released improved versions of three out-of-school time curriculum units that were co-designed with out-of-school time educators across the country to ensure the needs of all learners are met!
PLANETS is a NASA-funded out-of-school time planetary science and engineering curriculum project for educators serving learners in grades 3-8. Each unit has parallel science and engineering tracks focused on Space Hazards, Water in Extreme Environments, and Remote Sensing. PLANETS is great for summer camps, afterschool programs, and informal learning spaces!
All resources are FREE, check them out and empower every learner to see themselves as scientists and engineers!
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CommunityShare
Connecting Classrooms and Communities
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Testimonial
If you haven’t heard of CommunityShare, it’s a platform that brings educators, students, and community members together to create real-world learning experiences. In a place like Flagstaff, where industry, tourism, science, and trades all overlap, it feels like a missed opportunity if we don’t show students what’s actually happening in their own backyard.
I work in marketing for a local general contractor, and it’s given me a front-row seat to how many paths, skills, and personalities make up this industry. It wasn’t the path I expected, but it’s shown me how many different skills and interests can lead people into STEM fields, often in ways they never planned. And after spending time in classrooms talking with students about construction, engineering, and how projects actually come together, I’ve seen what happens when the pieces click. The student who usually hangs back (the quiet one, the non-participant) suddenly leans in, asks a question, or jumps into the activity. You can see the spark catch. Moments like that build confidence and help students realize there’s a place for them in these fields, even if they hadn’t imagined it before. It’s rewarding for students, teachers, and frankly for me too.
Please consider joining CommunityShare and lending your voice, your experience, or whatever unexpected expertise you’ve picked up along the way. The students benefit, the teachers appreciate it, and you might walk away surprised by how rewarding it is.
Joel Feldberg
Kinney Construction Services / Flagstaff STEM City
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Seeking Partners, Funding & Support
Several meaningful CommunityShare projects across Flagstaff schools are looking for partners, resources, or financial support to bring powerful learning experiences to life.
Summit High School Native Plants Garden
Summit High School students are designing a native plant garden that reflects the cultural, ecological, and linguistic diversity of our region. The project needs funding for native plants and future signage, including labels featuring traditional, scientific, and community-used plant names, as well as QR codes linking to plant uses and stories. This space will serve students, neighbors, and the wider community as a place for connection, learning, and cultural stewardship.
Pregnant & Parenting Students: Yoga, Mindfulness, and Childbirth Education
Summit High School is seeking local experts or resources to help students learn yoga, mindfulness, and labor and delivery skills. The goal is to empower pregnant and parenting students with tools to support their well-being, manage stress, and prepare confidently for childbirth.
Mentorship for Students with Special Needs
Sinagua Middle School is seeking community partners—especially organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters—to help special needs students build positive relationships and strengthen community and social skills outside the school day.
If you or your organization can support any of these projects, please sign up or explore opportunities at: https://communityshare.org/flagstaff
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2026 STEMMY Awards – Save the Date
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We’re thrilled to share that the 2026 STEMMY Awards will take place at Lowell Observatory — an inspiring new venue that perfectly celebrates discovery, innovation, and exploration! Guests will have the opportunity to experience the new space and even enjoy a stargazing experience.
- Save the Date: March 19, 2025
- Event Time: 6:00–7:30 p.m.
- Hors d’oeuvres: 5:45–6:00 p.m.
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Stay tuned for nomination forms for Business of the Year, Community Partner of the Year, Teacher of the Year, and Student of the Year. We can’t wait to celebrate the incredible individuals and organizations shaping the future of STEM in Flagstaff!
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Follow Our New Facebook Page!
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STEM City is excited to launch our new Facebook page, where we’ll highlight Flagstaff’s incredible STEM ecosystem and share stories from our schools, partners, and community. Follow us at facebook.com/flagstaffstem to stay updated on upcoming events, student opportunities, community partnerships, volunteer needs, and the innovative work happening across Northern Arizona.
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