Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series sponsored by the Camden Education Fund about some of the exceptional Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics curricula taught at some of the city’s schools.

Dawn Wolfson, a science, technology, engineering and math teacher at Mastery East Camden Middle School, said she was given an opportunity a few years ago that changed the lives of current and future students.

During the 2023 summer break, the school’s principal gave her the freedom to develop and oversee construction of the school’s first STEM Makerspace, Wolfson said.

A TAPinto Camden reporter who visited the site found a Lego lab, robotics lab, engineering lab and a computer room with 3D printers, along with tables, chairs and ample space to work and study. The area is about four times the size of Wolfson’s previous classroom.

For some teachers, that might be enough. But Wolfson said she was not done.

“We took a lot of time to research different districts. We took a lot of time to research different programs and what’s expected in the future for our kids,” she said. “I don’t want anybody to ever think that just because of your ZIP code, you might not get that same quality education.”