CIAA Rebrands Annual Middle School Education Day Program to Reflect STEAM Focus

CHARLOTTE, NC - The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) announces the rebranding of its annual Middle School Day Program to CIAA Middle School STEAM Day: Creating Leaders for Tomorrow.

The rebrand is an effort to generate more focus on the importance of promoting diversity within STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) and expose more youth to opportunities that exist within those fields.

“Culturally responsive teaching and STEAM go hand in hand. As educators find ways to tell a richer history of America by responding to the demands of an increasingly diverse student body, they are also exposing girls and certain ethnicities including Blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians to STEAM who are underrepresented in these areas,” states Raukell Robinson, CIAA Education Day Director. “We then can motivate students to access their own needs, goals and cultural backgrounds to be authors and creators of their own futures.”

The CIAA Middle School STEAM Day will take place on Tuesday, February 26, 2019 during the conference’s annual men’s and women’s basketball tournament week in Charlotte. As program specifics are being finalized, the CIAA plans to continue having innovative, hands-on experiences for every student who attends, as well as live STEAM-related demonstrations. These initiatives are a part of the fabric of the CIAA. Long-time partners, NASA and Food Lion, have been avid supporters, offering many of these programs to the middle school students. Aligning the event specifically with STEAM allows the conference to specially target these programs going forward as well as create new partnerships and opportunities.

“The CIAA is intentional about promoting education, engaging the community, and creating opportunities for future generations,” says Jacqie McWilliams, CIAA Commissioner. “Adding the STEAM focus to our middle school day program is a natural progression in the evolution of this event; exposing and equipping our youth with the tools to become the leaders for tomorrow.”

The CIAA introduced its first Middle School Day program in 2010, in efforts to support the demand to expand their former Education Day programing that focused on high school students.

For more information about the upcoming 2019 CIAA Tournament and the conference, visit CIAATournament.org and TheCIAA.com.

About the CIAA

Founded in 1912, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is the first African American athletic conference and one of the most recognized conferences in Division II. The CIAA conducts 16 championships attended by more than 150,000 fans from around the country. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the CIAA is governed by the Presidents and Chancellors of its 13-member institutions: Bowie State University, Chowan University, Clafflin University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, Johnson C. Smith University, Lincoln (Pa) University, Livingstone College, Saint Augustine's University, Shaw University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University and Winston-Salem State University. For more information on the CIAA, visit theciaa.com. For more information on the CIAA Basketball Tournament, visit CIAATournament.org, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.