RAFT Blog, News, and Events

Featured Articles and News

Annual Fundraiser Recap: RAFT to the Future of STEAM Education

September 25, 2025

On Wednesday, September 17, 2025, RAFT hosted its annual fundraising event: RAFT to the Future. Over 130 supporters were present at RAFT, which was transformed into a beautiful space for the special event for the night. That evening, we honored the individuals and organizations that have made a profound impact on RAFT and the education…

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STEAM Dream Summer Camp 2025: A Season of Innovation, Discovery, and Fun

August 19, 2025

This August marks the exciting wrap-up of RAFT’s 2025 STEAM Dream Summer Camp and DreamBox season-our biggest yet! Over the course of eight action-packed weeks, we delivered more than 180 hours of hands-on STEAM programming, engaging TK-8 students from across the Bay Area in engineering challenges, storytelling adventures, and STEAM experimentation. With programs running across…

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🏆 RAFT Wins Double Gold in Bay Area Parent’s 2025 Best of the Best Awards!

July 29, 2025

RAFT is proud to announce that our STEAM Dream Summer Camp has been awarded Gold in two categories in Bay Area Parent Magazine’s 2025 Best of the Best Awards: 🥇 Best Day Camp – Silicon Valley 🥇 Best Science & Technology Camp – Silicon Valley This exciting recognition reflects the strength and impact of RAFT’s…

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STEAM in Action: RAFT Joins Synaptics for Bring Your Kids to Work Day

July 25, 2025

RAFT kicked off July with a hands-on, minds-on celebration of innovation by partnering with Synaptics for their Bring Your Kids to Work Day at the company’s San Jose campus. Synaptics employees brought their children to learn more about what their parents do and how STEM and STEAM skills power the technology all around us. RAFT…

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RAFT Honors 25 Robert Brownlee 2017 Science Teacher of the Year Nominees

Jun 7, 2017 | Comments Off on RAFT Honors 25 Robert Brownlee 2017 Science Teacher of the Year Nominees

For the 10th annual Robert Brownlee Science Teacher of the Year award, RAFT honored all 25 nominees at its Member Appreciation Party on June 3. This year’s nominees have a combined total of 285 years of teaching experience. RAFT applauds their dedication to bringing…

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SuiteWorld17 Volunteers Prepare Hands-on STEM Learning Materials for 44,000 Students

Jun 1, 2017 | Comments Off on SuiteWorld17 Volunteers Prepare Hands-on STEM Learning Materials for 44,000 Students

Exponential impact in Silicon Valley can be best demonstrated by when non-profit and for-profit organizations work together. Building on SuiteWorld17’s theme of “Next Starts Now,” Resource Area For Teaching (RAFT) and Oracle + NetSuite collaborated on a volunteer activity that benefits the next generation…

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May 24, 2017 |

Are You Burned Out? – What To Do Now By Myesha Mebane, Science Department Chair at Martin Luther King Jr. Junior High School It’s May and you may be experiencing “Burn Out”, what do you do now? It is too late to consider what…

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STUDENT IMPACT STUDY

May 10, 2017 |

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”] RAFT Hands-on Learning Model Promotes Achievement in Bay Area Schools Independent Research Study Shows that RAFT Hands-on Learning Activities Engage Students and Improve Academic Performance Rockman Et Al, a respected education research firm, has just concluded a study demonstrating…

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CASE FOR HANDS-ON LEARNING

May 9, 2017 |

Bridging the Engagement Gap with Hands-On Teaching Overview The ongoing debate over the achievement gap in American schools has largely overlooked its underlying cause: the engagement gap. Somewhere between kindergarten and the senior year of high school, many students lose their natural love of…

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Why Do We Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

Mar 17, 2017 |

By Sandra Woodard, RAFT Membership & Green Room Associate St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated in Ireland for over 1,000 years, but it was mostly a religious celebration of the Saint’s life and deeds. Today, many people of Irish ancestry in the U.S., and…

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