Barb STEAMCon celebrates hands-on learning in DeKalb schools

DeKALB – Barb STEAMCon, an event meant to celebrate all things science, technology, engineering, art and math, made its return Saturday to DeKalb High School after the COVID-19 pandemic prompted its hiatus.

Jenna Zimmerman, student representative for the DeKalb School District 428 board who helped organize the event, said it meant a lot to her to see the way Barb STEAMCon has become a reality.

“It makes me really, really happy because when I was younger I used to participate in these events in the [Students in Technology] Conference,” Zimmerman said. “And just being able to bring this joy back that I had when I was a kid, it makes me really excited to see that joy in lots of these other kids.”

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Students enjoy one of the sessions Saturday, April 5, 2025, during Barb STEAMCon at Dekalb High School. The event featured segments focusing on the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts and math. (Mark Busch)

The event has been a long time in the making for the district, organizers said.

Zimmerman said she knew the event needed to make a comeback.

“It really started off as an idea that I had and just questioning why I didn’t see this event going on and being able to use my student board member position and having those ties with people in the district to really just expand on ‘Hey, why aren’t we doing this? How can we bring this back?‘” Zimmerman said. “It’s really exciting to see this happening.”

Barb STEAMCon was broken up into multiple parts, including a keynote address and three sessions, to give participating students the chance to survey different areas of STEAM.

More than 60 students participated this year, organizers said.

Among those on hand for the Barb STEAMCon was 10-year-old Nelora Squire, of DeKalb. She sat next to her father, Steve, as they observed a hawk named Soyuz being handled by its owner during one of the 15 different information sessions.

She said one thing she’s learned is that falconry is a sport.

“It’s been around for centuries,” Nora Squire said.

Squire’s father, Steve Squire, said he’s glad they popped into one of the information sessions to check out the hawk.

“We go out on outings and do bird watching,” Steve Squire said.

Bryan Tallitsch, an IT support manager for District 428 who handles Soyuz, said he believes students reacted positively to what the hawk had to offer.

“My hope is that they will see the world in a different viewpoint where they use STEAM to enhance aspects of their life that they maybe didn’t think they could otherwise,” Tallitsch said.

Elsewhere at Barb STEAMCon, students were seen packing the seats for an information session dubbed, “Drawing with Light,” a photography phenomenon where artists create images in the dark.

DeKalb High School teacher Chad Gregory said there’s a lot for students to take away from his presentation.

He had several of his students from his digital photography class on hand to assist him with his demonstrations.

“I hope that students are inspired by being able to see things in a photo that the human eye cannot because of the nature of long exposure,” Gregory said. “What the camera captures is impossible for the human eye to see in real time.”

DeKalb High School junior Nyla Killion, who volunteered during the event, said Barb STEAMCon provided an opportunity to display what she’s been learning in Gregory’s classes.

“We’ve learned these skills and we’ve been honing them,” Killion said.

By the event’s end, all presenters were given awards and attendees were entered into raffles for prizes.

The event, held at DeKalb High School, was sponsored by Meta, the parent company of Facebook.

Organizers said they are still working to determine if Barb STEAMCon should be held annually.

Zimmerman said the district is waiting to see feedback from how the first year back in action goes.

“We’re hoping it’s going to come back every year,” Zimmerman said.

This story was updated at 6:16 p.m. Aoril 11, 2025, to correct an earlier version which misspelled the first name of Nelora Squire.