The Chemours STEM Hub at EastSide Charter School is officially open after three years in the making.
The new innovation hub broke ground in February 2023, and EastSide Charter School CEO Aaron Bass says the $27 million project is now ready for use by students and the public.
During the day, the center serves as an educational space for students, but from 4-7 p.m., it opens up to the community for workforce development training.
“So you could be in a space where teenagers come in and are working on coding, another set's working on gaming, another set's working on robotics, while their parents happen to be in one of our three labs working with Chemours on how they can become lab assistants," Bass explains
The hub is staffed with mental health professionals five days a week and also houses a health center that can provide critical medical services to EastSide students.
"We in Wilmington — and I think for New Castle County and the entire state — we wrestle with issues of mental health and we compartmentalize that, so we're no longer just serving students. We are serving anyone that wants access to mental health services in this space as well, and so you could see a family that is dealing with grief in the same space that they can also come and one, learn about robotics, or two, work with one of our companies to get a job. This is a one stop shop for all of that."
Bass says in a state where the STEM industry is a major economic driving force, it was important to create a space not only for EastSide families and students, but a space where members of the public could explore skills training opportunities.
The facility is home to a maker’s space, 3D printing, engineering and other STEM-related activities with out-of-school programming including mentoring, robotics, coding, and Science Olympiad competitions.
The 24,000 square-foot center houses the school’s APEX and STEM programs in addition to acting as a community center after school, on weekends and in the summer with help from the Wilmington Library.
