Jesse Lovejoy, Director, STEAM Education & 49ers Museum
The San Francisco 49ers will participate in the March for Science San Francisco and bring the football team’s unique STEAM (Science, Technology, Education, Arts, and Mathematics) Education program to yet another fan base. The Denise DeBartolo York Education Center, located inside the 49ers Museum presented by Sony, serves as the home of the 49ers STEAM Education Program (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) – a learning platform that connects, inspires, and engages students in grades K-8. The comprehensive, free-of-charge 49ers STEAM Education Program is a four-part field trip experience that includes museum exploration, a Levi’s Stadium tour, a movement lab, and STEAM lesson. The program leverages football as a platform in order to connect, inspire, and engage each student. The programming is aligned to 21st Century Learning Skills which incorporate critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity for the students’ overall experience at Levi’s Stadium. By offering hands-on, project-based learning in a dynamic and innovative environment, the 49ers STEAM Education Program has enabled more than 150,000 students to use leading-edge, technological tools and techniques that challenges them to reach new heights over the last three years.
The San Francisco 49ers have their hands in a variety of science-based efforts. The 49ers STEM Leadership Institute (SLI) created in partnership between the 49ers Foundation, Chevron, the Silicon Valley Education Foundation, and the Santa Clara Unified School District. SLI integrates a six-year curriculum that delivers more than 300 hours of supplemental STEM education to 60 students in grades 7-12 each year – free of charge. Launched in 2014 as part of the 49ers Foundation’s efforts, SLI is a collaborative education venture that each year welcomes to the program 60 new high-achieving 7th graders at the Chevron STEM Zone at Cabrillo Middle School in Santa Clara, Calif., to prepare them for eventual entry to top-tier colleges in STEM fields and STEM careers. In fall 2016, the program expanded to Santa Clara High School and, at full capacity in 2019, will serve 350 students from 7th through 12th grade.
In addition to the team’s commitment to education, Levi’s Stadium has also led a new generation of stadium design leveraging technology and sustainability to ensure a better experience for its guests and the community at-large. From the more than 1,000 state-of-the-art solar panels fixed atop the venue – which help makes Levi’s Stadium net-neutral to the grid for the 10 scheduled 49ers home games each season – to the first-ever rooftop farm at an NFL stadium – which will yield more than 7,500 pounds of vegetables in its first year – Levi’s Stadium is internationally recognized for its industry-leading sustainability efforts. Just this past October, the venue received LEED Gold Certification for Operations and Maintenance of an Existing Building on the same day the 49ers were recognized by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for its commitment to fighting climate change.
As a Bay Area professional sports franchise firmly rooted in commitment to education and sustainability, the 49ers are excited to participate in the March for Science SF in support of access to learning in the sciences.