October 2025: Program Updates and Upcoming Events

The Current: Monthly News from SPIN

Power Surge: Program Updates

SPIN Enrich - Heart: 

SPIN is proud to be launching West Seattle Elementary’s first FIRST LEGO League Robotics Program this month as part of the HEART program—an initiative that embodies our mission to expand equitable STEM opportunities for all students. Through this hands-on program, students will explore robotics, coding, and creative problem-solving while working as a team to address real-world challenges. Supported by SPIN staff and community partners, this program takes place during the school day, providing opportunities for all students to explore STEM. Together, we’re building not just robots—but pathways to confidence, curiosity, and lifelong innovation. -Cheyanne

SPIN Enrich: 

SPIN Enrich is serving up something new with our Food Science curriculum for 3rd–5th graders! Students will become kitchen scientists as they explore STEM concepts through tasty experiments—like discovering why an egg floats in salty water, testing how much sugar is hiding in their favorite snacks, and even making their own ice cream while learning about states of matter. Along the way, they’ll build skills in predicting, measuring, experimenting, and reflecting on results. Science has never been so delicious! For example, in our Starch Detectives lesson, students will put on their “science sleuth” hats, using iodine solution to test foods like bread, rice, and apples for hidden starch. As they watch foods change color before their eyes, they will uncover the role starch plays in nutrition while learning and applying the Scientific Process of observing, hypothesizing, testing, and drawing conclusions. -Soham

SPIN Forward: 

We kicked off our first lab day on September 20th. During our time together, 6th and 7th grades got their hands dirty exploring harmful chemicals found in everyday shampoo products and created their own natural shampoos to support their specific hair texture. 8th grade learned about the three levels of biomimicry and created 3D art dioramas of nature-inspired designs. 9th grade dove deep into the topic of food science, studying the process of digestion, exploring a farming simulator, and identifying the pros and cons of current farming methods. Finally, 10th graders looked at local environmental injustices and brainstormed potential capstone topics. We are excited to watch our youth grow as they continue to explore STEM topics this year. - Aliyah and Lauren

SPIN Fellows: 

Fall is in full swing, and our SPIN Fellows are diving into a season of preparation and progress! This month, our 12th-grade Fellows are focusing on one of the most important parts of their college journey: application essays. With support from a University of Washington writing tutor, they’re crafting powerful personal statements that reflect their unique stories and aspirations. At the same time, our 11th-grade Fellows are building their professional toolkits by learning how to write compelling resumes—a key step in preparing for future internships, jobs, and academic opportunities. As always, we’re inspired by their determination and excited to support them as they continue paving their paths toward success in STEM and beyond.  - Alicia

SPIN Young Entrepreneur Project:

 October marks an exciting chapter for the Young Entrepreneur Project, where imagination meets innovation! This month’s theme, Creativity in Action, challenges students to explore problem-solving through hands-on projects and artistic expression. From rapid-fire idea sprints to a Seattle Paint Party Residency, students are learning how creativity fuels entrepreneurship. Their work will culminate in a Class Creativity Showcase, featuring collaborative art and reflections on how ideas become ventures. Through this experience, YEP continues to empower young entrepreneurs to think boldly, express freely, and build with purpose. - Joseph

SPIN LAB: 

September was a busy month at The LAB@SPIN! While we’ve been working behind the scenes recruiting new community instructors, we’re also developing a brand-new 3D printing course inspired by student interest—stay tuned for details! Up next, we’re thrilled to host  Introduction to AI and Scratch on Saturday, November 1st, from 10–11:30am at SPIN HQ. This hands-on workshop, featuring Hamsini Ramanathan’s SEED4STEM curriculum, invites middle school students to dive into coding and AI utilizing RAISE Playground, an MIT-developed extension of Scratch focused on AI and machine learning. Students will create a text-based classifier in RAISE to distinguish between positive and negative words (good, bad, happy, sad, etc.) and share their work with peers. Spots are limited, register today! - Sam

Event Horizon

SPIN Events

Partner and Community News and Events

Lauren CantoComment