STEM Education Partnership

The Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Alpharetta Smyrna Alumni Chapter's Guide Right program that supports and assists middle and high school male students, many who are African American, acquire the leadership, self determination, and character skills they will need to become productive members of society has been launched. The 2012/2013 Guide Right program kicked off with a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) seminar at Southern Polytechnic State University on October 6th and 20th .  The seminars were led by faculty and graduate students in the SPSU Teacher Education Program directed by Dr. George W Stickel.

During each of the half day sessions, the Guide Right STEM seminar introduced 38 students to applications in biology, chemistry, and physics in project learning demonstrations and experiments involving microscopic examination, physical change, and acceleration and displacement.

The fraternity’s STEM coordinator, Lawrence King says, “Each year we strive to design our academic development segment to incorporate STEM education to demystify science and to unlock our kid’s natural curiosity and ability to solve problems.” Over the past three years the ASA chapter has held similar STEM seminars on robotics technology and chemistry with the support of our partners at Georgia Tech and the Cobb Chamber.

King stated further, “helping these students see the connections between math and science and future career opportunities is a critical aim of how our fraternity builds the STEM pipeline. Students typically form notions of their career path in secondary school. Without the right information, fully capable students may bypass STEM study because they could not foresee the applications of STEM knowledge. Motivating interest in math and science requires opportunities outside the classroom to demonstrate linkages between math and science, real-world applications, and future careers.”

The Guide Right program is offered by the fraternity’s chapters nationwide.  The ASA program is unique in that it is designed by a group of dedicated members of the fraternity representing a plethora of professions that is designed to serve a special population of underserved and under-appreciated youth. ASA’s mentoring program, Guide Right has successfully improved the lives of thousands of male students across metropolitan Atlanta (with a focus on Cobb County and North Fulton County) since 1996.

Over the balance of the school year, the ASA chapter will offer enrollees in these program additional seminars at the Fair Oaks Recreation Center 1465 West Booth Road Ext. Marietta, Ga. 30008 featuring interactive seminars on topics such as:

• Conflict resolution
• Sexual health
• Public speaking
• Dentistry

The Guide Right program is funded through public donations, the ASA chapter, and the Krimson Community Foundation. The Alpharetta- Smyrna Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. is a member of Partners in Education in Cobb County along with Marietta City Schools, Cobb County School District, and the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.