Odyssey Charter School and Odyssey Charter School PTO have announced that two family-friendly events will be held simultaneously Saturday, March 19, 10 a.m-4 p.m. at the Coweta County Fairgrounds.
The Southside STEAM Expo and Touch-A-Truck have been organized as separate events by the school for several years, but this is the first time they will be held together at the same location.
“These events are similar in that they appeal to a broad group of people and, more importantly, they both involve Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM). Our STEAM Expo exhibitor booths are required to include hands-on, fun activities in those subject areas and most of the trucks and vehicles at Touch-A-Truck come from businesses or organizations that focus on STEAM. It just made sense to combine the two events into one fantastic day at the Fairgrounds,” said Southside STEAM Expo co-chair Jennifer Petrino.
The Southside STEAM Expo will be held inside the Exhibit Hall and the Agricultural Building. There will be more than 30 exhibitor booths with hands-on activities related to STEAM subjects. For instance, at the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream booth, visitors will identify macroinvertebrates in water samples and the LAB-AIDS booth will allow visitors to build a wet cell battery to provide power to a small motor. The University of West Georgia will be back with their solar telescopes and there will be a 3D printer from Pali-Proto 3D Printing as well. For the second year in a row, the Southside STEAM Expo is a Program Partner with the Atlanta Science Festival.
The Southside STEAM Expo will also host a BEST Outreach Robotics Competition. Teams from at least six Metro Atlanta area high schools will be competing on the BEST, Inc. Paydirt Robotics competition field. Odyssey has recently started a Robotics program, and all proceeds from the Southside STEAM Expo and Touch-A-Truck will help fund the materials needed for the program.
“We are so excited about the robotics competition and our partnership with Fernbanks LINKS and Georgia BEST, Inc. We are thrilled that the funds raised from these two events will advance our robotics program at Odyssey,” said technology teacher Lucretia Nolan.
Piedmont Newnan Hospital is a sponsor for the Expo for the third year in a row and some of the other exhibitors include Zoo Atlanta, The Heritage School, Mathnasium of Newnan, Macaroni Kid, Coweta STEM Institute, Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, Barnes and Noble, Bubbles & Brushes Art Studio, Coweta Water & Sewer and many more.
Touch-A-Truck will be held outside at the Fairgrounds. There will be over 30 different trucks and vehicles on hand for kids to see up close, touch, honk the horns and talk to the drivers. These are vehicles that kids normally only get to see from afar, like the giant crane from Georgia Rigging or the Georgia Forestry Department’s bulldozer. There will also be a hearse from McKoon’s Funeral Home, a race car, mud trucks and police cars and fire trucks from all of the local departments. There will also be food trucks this year.
“In the past, Touch-A-Truck was held at Ashley Park Mall, but we were outgrowing that space. Moving to the fairgrounds and combining this event with the Southside STEAM Expo is a blessing! We can fit more trucks and vehicles and spread everything out a little,” said Odyssey Charter School PTO president Rita Eddy.
Admission is $10 per person which provides access to both the Southside STEAM Expo and Touch-A-Truck all day long. Children 2 and under are free. You can also get $1 off a ticket if you bring a canned food item for the Coweta Community Food Pantry. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance at http://tinyurl.com/ExpoTruckTickets. “You can have six hours of nonstop fun and there is a tremendous educational benefit too,” said Southside STEAM Expo chair Nsa Austin.
More information can be found at facebook.com/STEAMexpo, on the Touch-A-Truck event page at facebook.com/events/1045744452142571 or questions can be emailed to southsidesteamexpo@gmail.com.
Also at the fairgrounds March 19 are the Coweta County Fire Department Explorer Competition and the City of Fairburn Fire Department Smokin’ Out Muscular Dystrophy BBQ Competition and Fundraiser.
Odyssey Charter School is a tuition-free public school serving Coweta County students in grades K-8. Odyssey is currently accepting applications for the 2016-2017 school year. More information about the school can be found at www.odysseycharterschool.net.
