New STEAM Lab Inspires Students to Dream Big

Kaiser Permanente Collaborates with LAUSD to Create a STEAM Lab at Flournoy Elementary School in South L.A.

On February 7, Kaiser Permanente, in collaboration with the Los Angeles Unified School District, unveiled a new STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) lab at Flournoy Elementary School in Watts that will serve over 500 students in grades K through 5.
The lab is equipped with tools and materials that engage students in hands-on STEAM-related activities. The facility offers a bold, 360-degree, color-blocked mural that wraps the room with vibrant images of STEAM heroes and their bios, inspiring students to imagine what is possible for themselves and their community.

“This is a new, wonderful and exciting learning opportunity for our students,” said Michael Romero, superintendent, Local District South. “Thanks to Kaiser Permanente and this new fully equipped STEAM lab, our students will be much better prepared to enter productive careers when they grow up.”

The STEAM lab is part of a larger beautification project at the school that has been in progress since August 2019. Kaiser Permanente staff worked with LAUSD stakeholders, designers and the Two Bit Circus Foundation on planning and preparing for the project. During the 2020 Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service, Kaiser Permanente employees – in partnership with school staff, students, and families – painted a vivid mural at the school entrance welcomes students, parents, teachers, and guests with a striking mosaic jungle complete with the school’s mascot. In addition, work teams assembled tables and benches on campus, planted drought-resistant plants, and embellished the chain link fence to create paw prints of the school’s tiger mascot in preparation for the unveiling. KABC-TV in Los Angeles covered the unveiling event.

Kaiser Permanente has a long-standing commitment to improving the health and future of the communities it serves, including in South Los Angeles, according to Julie Miller-Phipps, president of Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Health Plan and Hospitals.

“That’s why projects like this new STEAM lab are so exciting and worthwhile to us,” she said. “We know that schools are at the center of healthy communities. When children grow up to become healthy and productive adults, they contribute to the overall health and well-being of their communities, and that’s a vital part of Kaiser Permanente’s mission.”

The new STEAM lab at the school – located at 1630 111th St. – is the result of a collaboration between Kaiser Permanente and LAUSD’s Achievement Network.