Activities Update March 8, 2022

April 05, 2022

Exploring Healthy Cooking

Youth practiced making a quick-and-easy breakfast sandwich with apple butter, fresh fruit, and English muffins. For some youth this was especially fun as it was their first taste of apple butter. They also tried their hand at knife-handling skills to ensure safety stays a number one priority in everything we do. Youth had one-on-one demos and practice with our instructor for an even more memorable experience. Thank you, Ms. Latricia, for your time and effort.

Cheering on the Lady Monarchs

Women’s History Month is all about the strength of women heroes across the globe. NSTS youth cheered on some seriously strong women at the ODU Lady Monarchs vs. the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball game on Wednesday, March 2. It was a close game with only a 3-point differential, making for an engaging time while also emphasizing the power of perseverance. The experience was made more special when Success Coach Emoni, an ODU student herself, joined the youth. The home team may have lost the game, but they won over the hearts of NSTS youth.

Check Mate

Chess is a common sight at the NSTS program. Practicing critical thinking and problem-solving skills can be even more fun through game-based learning, and it seems our boys have caught the chess bug. Brotherly love may be set aside for some fun competitive energy among middle school siblings, Taivon and Trefon, as well as high school siblings, Elijah and Isaiah. The games even paved the way for new friendships as new NSTS youth Johnny was invited to join on his first day in the program.

Shooting Hoops

Let the games begin! After many requests and not-so-great weather days, NSTS finally put up our very own basketball hoop. With some surprisingly nice March weather, our youth got their blood pumping and challenged some Success Coaches to friendly competitions. NSTS believes “Teamwork makes the Dreamwork,” and what better way to reinforce the power of working together than with team sports? Plus, the sunshine and fresh air always helps.

Ready to check out the helicopter

Making healthy breakfast sandwiches

Taking the controls in a helicopter

Life Skills to Avoid Scams

You know the drill. You get a call from an unknown number, and maybe you feel particularly curious that day—enough to answer the phone. Next thing you know a robotic voice on the other line starts talking about an extended warranty for a car you don’t even own. NSTS wants our youth to be prepared with life skills that can prevent them from being victims of scams. Our high school youth learned the importance of reading the fine print and being aware of the different scams they may encounter. Life skills then met team building in the form of a Next Gen Personal Finance Arcade Game. We put teams head-to-head, and the winning team was able to outthink the scamming “Evil Corp” 15 times. Scammers beware, our NSTS youth won’t fall for your traps.

AIM Field Trip

NSTS youth received a warm welcome at the Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM) thanks to the wonderful hospitality of Ben Clark and Ashley Oden.

They gave the youth safety kits and a step-by-step walkthrough to create a metal clipboard made from the same aluminum used for planes. Youth had one-on-one guidance while using a drill press to make some beautiful circular designs before placing rivets on their clipboards, much in the same way mechanics place rivets on some of the planes at AIM.

With a completed clipboard, youth decorated their masterpieces, and then hopped into a stationary helicopter to try their hand at the controls – and take some great pics.

They also explored model planes from different eras, making for a hands-on tour through science, engineering and history. It was tough to leave, and our youth are looking forward to coming back in the summer!

Youth saw the many ways a STEM career can be an adventure, from hands-on tool experience to designing their very own clipboard to taking selfies in a helicopter.