The STEAM Fair Rolled
into Metzgar
A full day of learning about STEAM-related activities kept all
Metzgar students engaged in learning in early March. With the
help of high school students and community representatives,
the Metzgar teachers presented a wide variety of hands-on
learning opportunities as students moved from one station to
another.
From designing a landscaping plan using plants and color to
learning about genetics and creating DNA models, the students
touched upon all aspects of STEAM – Science, Technology,
Engineering, Art, and Math. Other sessions included testing the
chemistry of color, using Bricks for Kids, experimenting
with sound, making slime, exploring chromatography,
visiting with docents from the Westmoreland Museum
of American Art, discovering new animals in the
always popular Critter Cruise and participating in a
demonstration from the Carnegie Science Center.
GRE E NS BU RG SAL E M SC H OOL DI ST RIC T NE WS
reensburg Salem
Students made mouth
harps to demonstrate how
vibrations produce sounds.
High school students
taught students about DNA
and helped them to create
a pipe-cleaner DNA strand.
The Critter Cruise allowed students to get up close and
personal with a variety of insects, reptiles, and small mammals
as students learned about their habits and habitat from high
school biology students.
Third grader Rachel Kuhn, initiated a “Flip Flop” collection at Metzgar
Elementary School. After her church started collecting flip flops for
the people of Nigeria, Rachel decided she could do something to help.
Reasoning that if more people knew about the flip flop collection, more
people would donate, she sent flyers home with her fellow students asking
them to donate new or gently used flip flops. Her teacher, Mrs. Mickey,
commented, “This project doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows
Rachel. She has a kind, giving heart…and a contagious smile.”
Collecting the flip flops ties into a Social Studies unit being studied
by the third grade. The students are learning how one person can make
a difference in their community and the world. Rachel’s actions, and
the response of all the Metzgar families that have donated, are perfect
examples how we can all make a difference.
44 | Greensburg-Salem