With the help of passionate teachers and staff, Whitehall-Coplay School District (WCSD) now has a room exclusively devoted to the hands-on, practical learning of STEAM.

The district’s new STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) room was officially unveiled Sept. 29. The STEAM center is located in room 145 at Whitehall-Coplay Middle School. The room features a number of stations, including a 3-D printer, programmable robots, electronic circuit boards and coding materials.

WCSD technology coach and teacher David Stauffer told The Press the STEAM room allows students to come in to “tinker and create” and “really let their imaginations run wild.”

WCMS math teacher Tony Pangaio, who also was instrumental in pushing for the STEAM center, thanked the school board and administration for its support.

“They had the faith in us and said, ‘Let’s go ahead and try this,’” he added.

Stauffer said the creation of such a space for students has been in the making for some time.

“This has really been a dream of ours the last year,” he said.

The room is currently open to all students in the district. Stauffer said staff are in the process of determining the exact hours of operation.

“Our main focus here is (hands-on) learning,” Stauffer said.

“We’re very excited to get the teachers involved,” Pangaio added.