RAFT Blog, News, and Events

Bringing Hands-On STEAM Learning to San Diego Educators

May 18, 2025

RAFT recently had the pleasure of participating in the San Diego STEAM Educators Conference at the University of San Diego from May 16-17. The event brought together hundreds of teachers from across the state committed to advancing STEAM education across Southern California. Nancy McIntyre, RAFT’s new Community Engagement Manager, represented our team at the conference,…

From Honoree to Advocate: A STEAM Award’s Ripple Effect

May 14, 2025

At RAFT, we believe in celebrating educators who bring STEAM to life through hands-on learning. Our STEAM Teachers and Administrators of the Year Awards honor those who go above and beyond-and sometimes, that recognition inspires something even bigger. Just ask Bryan Williams, a past STEAM Teacher of the Year award recipient who later nominated another…

DreamBox Impact Series: Milpitas Unified School District

April 1, 2025

Engaging EL and SPED Learners Through Hands-On STEAM For the past two summers, RAFT has partnered with Milpitas Unified School District to bring hands-on STEAM learning to the district’s Extended School Year (ESY) summer program. This past summer, 230 fourth- through sixth-grade Special Education (SPED) and English Learner (EL) students became environmental engineers-designing water filtration…

Bringing Stories to Life: RAFT’s Intersession Program at Northwood Elementary

March 18, 2025

This winter, Northwood Elementary students in Berryessa School District embarked on a creative journey through RAFT’s three-day Intersession program. Designed to spark imagination and hands-on learning, the program engaged 66 students in grades K-5 in the art of puppet-making, storytelling, and performance, culminating in a special showcase for families. Student-made marionette puppets displayed with crafting…

RAFT Puts “Science in Motion” and Launches Course on Infosys Foundation USA’s Pathfinders Online Institute

Feb 7, 2024 | Comments Off

Thanks to a generous donation from the Infosys Foundation USA, RAFT has launched our Science in Motion course on the Pathfinders Online Institute. RAFT’s Science in Motion course explores 10 of our STEAM Project Kits to better understand the concept of motion. Each lesson…

Watch out 2024! RAFT’s Education Team Leadership is expanding with 2 exciting additions

Nov 10, 2023 | Comments Off

If you’ve heard of RAFT before, odds are it’s been in connection with our STEAM Dream Camp or Maker Mobile programming, both of which have been favorites among the SF Bay Area’s student and educator community alike. This year, we’ve seen enormous success in…

A Magical Night to Remember

Sep 25, 2023 | Comments Off

On Wednesday, September 20, 2023, RAFT hosted its annual fundraising event: The Magical Maker Mobile. Over 140 supporters were present at RAFT, which was transformed into a beautiful space for the special event that evening. That evening, we honored the individuals and organizations that…

RAFT Hall of Fame | Class of 2023

Sep 25, 2023 | Comments Off

Congratulations to our 2023 STEAM Teachers of the Year, RAFT Heroes, RAFT Volunteer Awardees, and RAFT Partners of the Year! Thank you for all you do for our educators, students, our community, and RAFT! STEAM Teachers of the Year Michele Huesties STEAM Teacher, Sierramont…

RAFT is Bay Area Parent’s Best of the Best (Again!)

Sep 5, 2023 | Comments Off

RAFT is pleased to have been selected as a Bay Area Parent Magazine 2023 Best of the Best Tutoring or Education Support Program. This is the fourth consecutive year RAFT has finished at the top of the list thanks to our comprehensive in-person and online educational offerings, including STEAM Project Kits, Maker Mobile van visits, makerspace builds, tailored educator workshops and more.

From Camper to Camp Counselor: Yiesha R.’s STEAM Dream Story

May 24, 2023 | Comments Off

For brand new campers, the first day of camp is filled with curiosity, a few stomach butterflies and a ton of anticipation for the exciting adventures to come. But what about the first day of camp for a new camp counselor? And what if…