Six Metro High students will travel to Prague thanks to state pilot program that encourages summer learning

CEDAR RAPIDS — Metro High School is sending six students and five teachers to Prague, Czech Republic in August as a part of a new state-funded pilot program to provide students career-connected learning opportunities throughout the summer.

At a dedication of a clock tower near the National Czech & Slovak Museum in Cedar Rapids last year, Czech President Petr Pavel — who was in attendance that day -- invited Cedar Rapidians to visit Prague, recalls Metro High teacher Shannon Ellis.

That cemented an idea, and Metro High teachers then had to find a way for students to travel internationally, “an impossibility” for many students because of financial barriers, Metro High teacher Chuck Tonelli said.

In August, six students and five teachers will travel to Eastern Europe for five days as ambassadors from the City of Cedar Rapids, the Cedar Rapids Community School District and Metro High, Tonelli said.

The school is one of 12 programs that received up to $20,000 each from the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council at the Iowa Department of Education. The pilot program allows existing STEM BEST Program model partner schools to engage students over the summer.

The trip is fully funded for students, including travel, lodging, museum fees and even matching attire, so the students represent the city and school.

Metro North Rotary, a service club in Cedar Rapids, donated funds for two students to get passports. Another private donor is purchasing luggage, including travel backpacks, for all the students.

While in the Czech Republic, students will explore technological advances — including a 3D printer manufacturer and Amazon’s robotics center that opened in October 2023 — and spend time experiencing the culture.

School officials also hope to connect with other students in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition, a high school robotics competition where teams design, build and program robots to compete in a challenging game each year.

Metro High School leaders chose a trip to Prague partly because of Iowa’s connection to the Czech Republic. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, immigrants settled in Iowa and established communities, especially in Cedar Rapids.

That connection was strengthened when — about a decade ago — Metro High teacher Matt Secl had a chance encounter with Czech business owner and 3D printer developer Josef Prusa.

The Cedar Rapids Community School District began purchasing Prusa 3D printers in 2019, after finding them more economical to repair than other brands on the market, largely because of their open source philosophy.

“Our goal is for our printers to remain moddable, easily repairable and produce amazing prints even decades after their initial release,” according to Prusa Research’s website, the company behind the 3D printers. “We strongly believe in the community and in sharing how we do things so others can learn and create.”

Today, there are 60 Prusa 3D printers in the Cedar Rapids district’s K-12 schools, said Jenny Hageman, a customer service supervisor for the district’s technology department.

The Metro High students and staff plan to tour Prusa Research while in Prague.

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Students were chosen for the trip after attending an informational meeting about the opportunity. The 12 students involved in Metro High’s STEAM Academy and robotics program were invited to the meeting. Six showed up.

The grant enabled the school to take five students, so teachers are fundraising to cover the cost of a sixth student because they didn’t want to turn anyone away.

Hannah Feller, 15, a freshman at Metro High, said the trip is a “once in a lifetime opportunity for my family.”

“I’ve never been out of the country before,” said Hannah, a team captain of Metro High’s robotics team.

She said she’s excited to learn more about how 3D printers are manufactured at Prusa Research.

Tonelli said since it’s an international trip, they wanted a high student-to-teacher ratio to set them up for success.

Secl said he was “so convinced” that they would make a trip like this a possibility for students someday that he went to Prague during the summer of 2024 — months before the pilot program that awarded the school the funds was even created.

During their five days in Prague, students will explore technology, culture, history and the present.

When they return, Tonelli expects the students will “take the show on the road.” They will create a presentation of their trip and share what they learned with the community.

About the pilot program

The pilot program is called STEM BEST Explore. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math and BEST stands for Businesses Engaging Students and Teachers.

By helping schools identify and anticipate local workforce needs in collaboration with business professionals, the STEM BEST Program is able to strengthen Iowa’s future workforce through the development and expansion of work-based learning and career exploration opportunities.

The purpose of the award is to:

“Learning doesn’t end when summer starts. Through this unique pilot program, students across Iowa can participate in work-based learning and real-world STEM experiences where they apply their knowledge, build networks and gain clarity on their future goals,” Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow said in a news release earlier this month. “The opportunities supported by the STEM BEST Explore pilot will help students see the connection between the classroom and the workplace, supporting Iowa’s strong talent pipeline for in-demand STEM jobs.”

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