The parents really got behind the process.
They were amazed at how many ‘out of the
box’ solutions the students created.
“The students often remark on how the process really opened
their eyes to different situations people face each day,” says Jill
Wentzel, STEM Coordinator at Pope John Paul. “The parents really
got behind the process. They were amazed at how many ‘out of the
box’ solutions the students created.”
The top three groups from this year’s expo will bring their projects
to the Newark Archdiocese STEM Expo in April, where they
will present with teams from other schools and hear firsthand
from engineers about using STEM and STREAM methods in the
workplace. The top teams were also invited to present at the
student showcase for NCEA’s STREAM conference in June.
Overall Winners
1st Aqua Haiti 2nd Liberia Water
(biodegradable plastic) Sanitation
Lexi Hershey, Darby Bicking,
Sydney Saxton, Elayna Querey Emilee Honey, Lauren Dynesko,
Peter Jones, Chris Hoertz
As for the rest of the students, there’s a whole world of problems
that need solving, which means endless opportunities to practice
their newly developed skills. “Our students are identifying
challenges and realizing that they can design workable solutions,”
remarks Wentzel.
3rd Healthy Hearts, Inc.
(mosquito-repellent clothing)
Erin Fitzgibbon, Camryn Foster,
Lauren Winter, Vanessa Madanat,
Andres Naranjo
“The social studies teacher and I are doing a co-teaching
lesson next week where the students will be designing,
building and testing prototypes to do just that!”
She remembers hearing that in a recent social studies unit on
Siberia, students learned that wells there often freeze, forcing
families to melt snow to obtain water. Students recognized the
problem and asked if they could try to design a well that would
prevent water from freezing.
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