(Guthrie Center, IA) – Guthrie County Extension Director Shelby Van Horn reports Guthrie County Youth “Built Their Future in STEM” at STEM Fest 2026! This event was held March 28, 2026, at the Panorama Elementary School, hosted by Guthrie County ISU Extension. At STEM Fest there were several educational stations held inside the school, as well as some educational stations outside.
Businesses and organizations that volunteered their time to host booths were Guthrie County Master Gardeners, Panorama FFA, AC/GC FFA, Panora Fiber, ISU Extension and Outreach, Panorama Daycare Center, Dallas County Health-Panora Clinic, Guthrie REC, Iowa PBS, Iowa Trust & Savings Bank, Guthrie State Bank, Guthrie County Cattlemen, Guthrie County Farm Bureau, Iowa Corn, Iowa Motor Truck Association, Guthrie Soil and Water Conservation, and POET. Hands-on activities Semi driving simulator, seed germination necklaces, tractor cab simulator, electricity demo frying a hot dog, money counting, fiber optics, and so much more.
Shelby Van Horn, said “STEM fest 2026 was a huge success. We had a great turnout from the community and so many youth got to take part in some hands-on learning activities. They were also introduced to some potential career paths they could take down the road. It was a great morning!”
Participants at STEM Fest included youth of all ages with their family’s attendance. There were over 175 youth participants in total. There was participation from youth in multiple school districts in the county as well as some homeschooled youth, and multiple registrations from outside of Guthrie County!
We would like to extend an enormous thank you to all who helped make this event possible. Thank you to our businesses that volunteered time to host a booth, thank you to the youth and families that came out and participated, and thank you to Panorama Elementary for hosting the event. Events like this are not possible without the support of the community.
