By Joëlle Walls
Published in GoSTEAM's A Program in Review 2018-2024
Lilburn Middle School students have engaged with CEISMC programming over the years, thanks to former language arts teacher Michael Doyne. Since 2009, he has served as the parent instructional coordinator, ensuring parents stay informed about their children’s education in various ways such as online school communications and parent learning events.
Doyne’s journey with Georgia Tech began over a decade ago through the GoSTEM program, an outreach initiative dedicated to promoting STEM academic achievement and college attendance among Latino and other cultural and linguistic minority K-12 students. “When Tech reached out to Gwinnett County, specifically targeting the Meadowcreek Cluster schools, parent instructional coordinators were chosen as liaisons,” he explained. “My initial involvement with GoSTEM naturally evolved into a deeper engagement with GoSTEAM.”
Doyne noted that a significant benefit for the middle schoolers in the GoSTEAM program has been the direct interaction with the Georgia Tech community, while learning about STEM and music/arts integration. In fact, they had the unique opportunity to participate in REMEZCLA, a National Science Foundation-funded collaborative research project between Tech and the University of Puerto Rico–Río Piedras (Award #2005791). During an academic year after-school program and a one-week summer camp, the students learned computer science concepts through a culturally relevant curriculum based around EarSketch, a Tech-developed, web-based digital audio workstation.
“One of the most unforgettable moments was during the summer camp showcase when our kids performed their heartfelt songs in front of their families and distinguished guests,” he said. “This magical evening, held at Georgia Tech, overlooking the football field, was topped off with a delightful, fancy, catered meal, making it a truly memorable and impactful experience for everyone involved."
STEAM Innovation Days were another source of impactful experiences for the students. For example, in spring 2024, Grammy-winning artist and producer Bosco Kante gave the keynote address and demonstrated the ElectroSpit mobile talkbox he invented, which won First Place and the People’s Choice Awards at Tech’s Guthman Musical Instrument Competition in 2020.
“Those days at Georgia Tech, one of the top engineering schools in the world, were incredible for our kids,” Doyne recalled. “For many, it was their first time on a college campus, and they left inspired by professionals and Georgia Tech staff, returning to school with renewed determination to work hard on their dreams that were sparked by these experiences.”
Overall, partnering with Georgia Tech for many years was a great boost to the school, enabling them to bring hundreds of students to campus. “GoSTEAM opens possibilities that our students might never have imagined,” Doyne said. “Many of our students come from families who aren’t originally from the U.S., so seeing the potential to study at Georgia Tech or other top universities is invaluable. By incorporating STEM education with arts integration now, while they’re in middle school, we ensure they become more marketable to future employers.”
