SPARQ Center at PHS

06/01/2026

To see the full 2026 STEM Symposium Program including descriptions of each student's project please go to the SPARQ website:

SPARQ Center News and events

06/01/2026

Congratulations to the 2026 Judy Barcelon Excellence in STEAM Award winners Kaylee Ross and Lyn Standley! These students embody passion, perseverance, and excellence in the area of STEAM. They also each received $500 scholarships from the SPARQ Foundation.

06/01/2026

2026 STEM Symposium at Piner High School’s SPARQ Center celebrating our STEM Level II & III students. Also recognized were the 2026 STEM Prospect Awards for students who completed all STEM Levels. We also honored our 2026 SPARQ Center Foundation Student Representatives.

The projects covered a wide variety of topics including health sciences internships, community internships, food science, civil engineering, high powered rocketry, photometry, and more.

Congratulations to the 2026 Judy Barcelon Excellence in STEAM Award winners Kaylee Ross and Lyn Standley! These students embody passion, perseverance, and excellence in the area of STEAM. They also each received $500 scholarships from the SPARQ Foundation.

05/01/2026

Save the date! Piner’s STEM Symposium is Thursday May 28. Student presentations start at 7pm. Awards presentation is at 8pm. Come out and see the great work done by our STEM Level 1, 2, and 3 students. Refreshments provided.

04/20/2026

Join us this Wednesday for our last digital theater presentation for this school year.

The SPARQ Planetarium News and Views (30 min)
From Earth to the Universe (30 min)

From Earth to the Universe: This stunning, 30-minute voyage through space and time conveys, through sparkling sights and sounds, the Universe revealed to us by science. Viewers can revel in the splendor of the worlds in the Solar System and our scorching Sun. From Earth to the Universe takes the audience out to the colorful birthplaces and burial grounds of stars, and still further out beyond the Milky Way to the unimaginable immensity of myriad galaxies.

STEM Certificate Level 1 Approved

04/09/2026

Thank you David McCuan, Sonoma State University Political Scientist, for his presentation on the November midterm elections. He talked about his process for analyzing data, polls, on- and off-the-record interviews, and more to develop predictions for the upcoming midterm elections.

We also thank Piner Culinary for the delicious brownies!

The full presentation is available on our YouTube channel.

https://youtube.com/?si=vzEgcpiMcLfFPnrF

04/08/2026

David McCuan: Sonoma State University Political Scientist

He’s back! Our favorite resident Political Scientist David McCuan will talk about the upcoming and all-important Midterm Elections. It’s always a good time with David as he breaks down what is, what isn’t, and what might be in the word of Politics!

STEM Level 1 Certified

Brought to you by: Mr. Kruger

04/03/2026

The SPARQ Center's name is on the way to the moon! Ours is one of 5,647,889 submissions on an SD card that is flying inside Orion on this Artemis II mission.

NASA Artemis

We have our pass 🌝🚀 !
Want to have your name travel around the moon? Go sign up at the NASA Artemis Project.
https://www3.nasa.gov/send-your-name-with-artemis/

03/24/2026

The SPARQ Planetarium News and Views (30 min)
Atlas of a Changing Earth (30 min)

Atlas of a Changing Earth: Using stunning, latest-generation imagery from space, “Atlas of a Changing Earth” takes viewers into the dynamic processes causing coastal glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica to melt, and explores how rising seas could threaten coastlines the world over. These striking new images are produced by the confluence of satellites and supercomputers, revealing Earth in a degree of precise detail scarcely imagined a generation ago

STEM Certificate Level 1 Approved