Allen wrench. Check.

BMX bike parts. Check.Thirty-five elementary school children. Check.Panther Valley Elementary School's SHINE center was alive with activity over the past few weeks as students became mechanics, engineers and scientists during the most recent SHINE Afterschool project. The BMX project is currently being completed in all SHINE elementary centers and the middle school Career Academy.The students learned about high-priority careers in the various fields through the construction of five BMX Free Agent bicycles. Once completed, they will test the bikes through various obstacle courses before donating them to Toys for Tots. Other centers will also donate their finished bikes to various organizations.Ashley Heatter, lead SHINE teacher at Panther Valley, said that the students were very excited about the project because it allowed them to learn about tools as well as use them to build the bikes.The students started the project in the beginning of November, reading books on bicycle safety and listening to a presentation by Alicia Bolish, track operator of Hazleton City View BMX.The students broke into five groups to complete the bikes, which were provided by USA BMX, and learned everything from how to secure the seat and handlebars, to installing the foot pedals and the importance of proper tire pressure.Jeanne Miller, director of the Carbon and Schuylkill SHINE Afterschool Program, said the BMX project was one of five projects chosen by all six elementary centers, as well as the middle school Career Academy."Each year, in addition to our curriculum on high priority occupations with a focus on STEM, the teachers choose five STEM projects to integrate into the curriculum," Miller said. "When choosing, the teachers thought this was very educational and a wonderful service learning project."Miller said building the bikes, which focuses on mathematics, engineering and physics, "is a great way to reinforce concepts taught in the classroom.""It is always a good thing when students are building and creating and thinking," she said.The next project that SHINE students will work on is Lego robotics.The SHINE Afterschool Program is an initiative through Lehigh Carbon Community College that helps elementary school students in Lehighton, Jim Thorpe, Panther Valley, Mahanoy City and Shenandoah in their studies as well as helps them build socialization skills and a stronger relationship in the family.Since its inception in 2004, the SHINE program has served hundreds of area students and has taken them to higher levels in education.The Carbon County SHINE Career Academy began in 2011 through a partnership between Lehigh Carbon Community College and Carbon Career & Technical Institute in Jim Thorpe as a way to bridge the gap in the LCCC SHINE Afterschool Program model. It allows Carbon County students in grades six, seven and eight to look into jobs of the future through hands-on projects while building on their current academic skills.For more information on the SHINE program, visit

www.shineafterschool.com.