TBE's pilot STEM program yields promising results

Eric Bitoni, TBE Youth Ambassador Program director, asks Kindred Elementary students a question about the court’s geometric shapes.

The Basketball Embassy recently finished a pre-pilot STEM program in conjunction with local partner SA Youth, using basketball to introduce fundamental math and geometry concepts to underserved youth.

“The response from the kids was overwhelmingly positive,” Zach Mason, TBE director of communications, said. “The level of engagement far exceeded our most ambitious expectations, and we were thrilled with how effectively basketball served as a medium to teach these important lessons.”

TBE spent several months leading up to the pre-pilot infusing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) concepts into its existing Youth Ambassador Program curriculum, leaning on its own decorated coaching staff to lay the foundation while seeking input and revisions from elementary and middle school teachers. The result was a balanced set of lesson plans that transformed the basketball court into a classroom.

“The data consistently show kids lose interest in math and science very early in their primary education,” Mason said. '“Our aim was to combat that by conveying real-world examples of how STEM is used, and not just on a computer or in a lab - but in a fun environment like a basketball court.”

Using the pre-pilot experience, TBE will tweak its curriculum based on the successes and points of improvement recognized over the course of each session. After making necessary revisions, TBE will move forward with integrating its STEM curriculum at select sites around the San Antonio area.

“I am very pleased with the overall success of our pre-pilot STEM program with SA Youth,“ Eric Bitoni, TBE Youth Ambassador Program director said. “The kids were engaged in the subject matter and progressed as each lesson went on. They were able to understand key STEM vocabulary terms and how they relate to basketball. We are thrilled to continue engaging students on STEM lessons in the near future.”

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