By Rosita Ventura-Gomez

As the orange skies begin to set at Veterans Memorial Park, Chowchilla’s youth eagerly gather around to create a new invention during the Community Science Workshop Network’s yearly event, Science in the Park.

“It’s really fun because each time you get different things!” said Ali Renteria, a Chowchilla youth who attended the Science in the Park events four times last summer.

(Ali Renteria is posing with her hand-made robot.)

With a mission to “provide opportunities for California’s underserved youth to tinker, make and explore the world,” the Community Science Workshop Network (CSWN) is a nonprofit organization that has been serving the curious young minds of Chowchilla since 2022.

In the summer of 2021, Jose Sandoval, now the executive administrator of CSWN, was a teacher for Alview-Dairyland Union School District and a volunteer for CSWN. Sandoval learned about Chowchilla’s Move in the Park events, which sparked the idea for him to create Science in the Park, a free event that focuses on STEM topics through hands-on projects.

“My goal is to share my passion for science to hopefully inspire the community to engage with science, either through our programs or to continue to explore their curiosity at home,” said Sandoval.

(On the right is Jose Sandoval, executive administrator of Community Science Workshop Network battling robots with Science at the Park Patrons.)

At the first-ever Science in the Park event, approximately 150-200 participants attended. Now, every summer, the children of Chowchilla look forward to creating anything the Science in the Park events have to offer.

“I grew up here and we didn’t have this,” said Josie Barreno, a Chowchilla resident and mother who takes her kids to the Science in the Park events whenever she can. “There are a lot of kids who love to put things together, and sometimes they don’t have the means. This event brings them the means, and I love that.”

Barreno first learned about Science in the Park from a post on social media, where she saw kids creating and playing with race cars. Her daughter, Hazel, is obsessed with arts and crafts. This event was perfect for Barreno’s daughter to explore her interest in crafting with an educational twist. This sentiment is also shared by Nolan McGuirk, a Chowchilla youth who has been attending Science in the Park for the past three years.

“You just get creative. It makes me want to code more!” McGuirk said while connecting the wires to power up his handmade robot.

(On the left is Jewel Goncalves, a worker for CSWN. In the middle of the photo is Nolan McGuirk, his Grandma, and his little sister.)

However, the continuation of Science in the Park and CSWN runs entirely on donations. With all events being 100% free, there is a need for continuous support from the community of Chowchilla. Donations help provide materials, cover operational costs and ensure that these educational experiences remain accessible to every child in the community.

Without community support, many children and families might miss out on these valuable learning opportunities. Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a significant impact. For more information, contact Jose@cswnetwork.org to learn how to support future Science in the Park events.

The next Science in the Park events will take place on June 29 and July 13, 20 and 27, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park.