May 16, 2024 – Students at Brunson Elementary School had a blast learning about engineering during their recent STEM Expo.
Third, fourth, and fifth graders have taken turns leading presentations at the expo over the last few weeks. Each class divided up into groups to create games that utilize the engineering design process, which requires innovators to brainstorm problem-solving devices and go through several stages of construction and development to build models that meet the initial needs identified. It’s a rigorous, hands-on process that took over a month to complete, but it left student engineers feeling proud of their hard work and resilience to bring their visions to life.
“It’s been a long time since I just made something new out of boxes,” said Fifth Grader Yassine Ibrahimy, whose group used cardboard boxes to build a skee-ball machine. “It was a lot of fun.”
The school gym was alive with energy on Wednesday morning as students, families, staff, and community members joined the expo and rotated through the games at various stations. All of the school’s second grade classes got to visit the fifth grade stations, and they had a great time seeing what the older kids were able to come up with. Hopefully, they’ll feel inspired to make the most of their own engineering ideas when they get to participate in future STEM expos.
“It’s cool that second grade gets to interact with fifth grade and they all get to have fun together,” said Second Grade Teacher Amanda McIntyre. “Plus, this shows them that science doesn’t just happen when you’re sitting at your desk. There are a lot of things you can do with it.”
The STEM Expo is a challenging but enjoyable introduction to what it’s like to invent professionally. Every project goes through setbacks and refinements, and the end result is a labor of love that brightens up somebody’s day. The whole Brunson community gets excited to see what results a new year of experiments will bring.
“This is our second year doing this, and we definitely want to make it an annual tradition,” said STEM Magnet Coordinator Michele Jordan. “The kids always really enjoy it.”