It was by accident that Maria Varisco-Rogers Charter School became involved with Students 2 Science, a New Jersey-based nonprofit that provides disadvantaged students with hands-on STEM education.
The Newark charter school was selected for a free science field trip after another nearby school couldn’t go. It was May 2012, and middle school teacher Patricia Fartura was in charge of bringing 30 eighth graders to the organization’s technology center — a trip she would make an annual event.
“That’s when the journey began. And our students loved it,” Fartura said. “It allowed students who would normally not be in that scenario or the situation of seeing what a science lab really looks like to get hands-on experience.”…