STEAM stands for "Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics. It is a pathway program at Piner High School to get introduced to work in those various field while developing skills working with outside school organizations and still having fun. In the STEAM Program you have the ability to just try it out by completing a level one and attending a STEAM related event or all the way to a level 2 or 3 and having an internship or completing your own STEAM project. The requirements to complete the project are to do eight level 1s, two level 2s and one level 3 throughout your high school career. This program has given me the opportunity to work on my interpersonal presentation skills, as well as do poster sessions similar to college. --Sloane Tibbens
-Photometry: Studying light from celestial objects contributing to the AAVSO database
Steve Smith
Kurt Kruger
20
2 or 3
High Powered Rocketry
Tony Alcocer
Kurt Kruger
15
2 or 3
GIS 2 Internships: GIS, Survey, Civil Engineering, Building Design
Varies by site
Kurt Kruger
GIS students only
2
Living with Wildlife: Youth Community Park Camera Project
Liz Martins
Kurt Kruger
3
2 or 3
HSB Internships
Varies by site
Eric Cecil
HSB 3 students only
2
Ecology Field Experience: Educational Outreach
Caprice Disbrow
Steve Carpenter
3
2
Engineering Design Experience/CAD
Ian Carpenter
Steve Carpenter
2
2
Future Faces in Medicine
TBA
Eric Cecil
Varies
2 or 3
Pepperwood Preserve: TeenNat
Summer Swallow
Kurt Kruger
Application process: Summer 6-week internship with benefits
2 or 3
Sonoma Land Trust (Conservation Council)
Mirella Ramos
Ms. Ambrose
By application
2 or 3
SOMA: Sonoma County Mycological Association
David Healy from SOMA
Eric Cecil
1-5
Student Winter Scholarship Opportunity
2 or 3
Engineering Bytes
TBA
Mr. Williams
TBA
2 or 3
Aviation & Aviation Careers (New!)
Vincent Bianco III
Kurt Kruger
1
2 or 3
Full Dome Film Short Creation (New!)
Laura Inserra
Kurt Kruger
1 or 2
2 or 3
Photomicroscope Imaging: Photomicroscopy (New!)
Stan Roodman
Kurt Kruger
1
2 or 3
2026 STEM Symposium
2026 STEM Symposium at Piner High School’s SPARQ Center celebrating our STEM Level II & III students. Also recognized were the 2026 STEM Prospect Awards for students who completed all STEM Levels. We also honored our 2026 SPARQ Center Foundation Student Representatives.
The projects covered a wide variety of topics including health sciences internships, community internships, food science, civil engineering, high powered rocketry, photometry, and more.
Congratulations to the 2026 Judy Barcelon Excellence in STEAM Award winners Kaylee Ross and Lyn Standley! These students embody passion, perseverance, and excellence in the area of STEAM. They also each received $500 scholarships from the SPARQ Foundation.
