The Manchester Essex Leadership Team would like to extend its gratitude to the MERSD community for its support and participation in the K-12 STEAM Showcase held on March 27th at the Middle High School. A special thank you goes out to Cell Signaling Technologies for their financial support of the event.
Attendees were able to immerse themselves in a wide array of interactive presentations associated with science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM), where they could explore and experiment with concepts firsthand.
“The K-12 STEAM showcase provided an immersive learning environment that highlighted the interconnectedness of various disciplines while inspiring curiosity and innovation in all who participated,” Umile said. “There was something magical about seeing (and hearing) high school students generate science-related poetry on an old electric typewriter and kindergartners explain their results on a wooly bear research project; all in one location. It was truly a testament to the power of hands-on learning and collaborative exploration” shared STEM Department Chair Kristi Umile.
Exhibits this year included LED headlamps, experimenting with coloring clothing using plant pigments, counting wooly bears to correlate with winter intensity, operating robotic arms, examining medical devices, participating in math competitions, and encountering snakes from both New England and around the globe.
The Showcase included:
30 student/staff booths and 26 booths from outside locations
Art displays from all four schools
Musical performances from the high school band and choir
A Butter ”UR” Biscuit food truck, donated 10 percent of proceeds back to the MERSD STEAM Event
MERHS student Maggie Whitman shared, “The STEAM showcase is such an amazing opportunity for people to share and be excited about things that they might not be able to all the time. I got to run a table for robotics and CAD, things that I don’t get to talk about very often, because my friends don’t find it as interesting as I do. The fact that I got to talk to people for a few hours and share my work with these people in our town and school that actually were interested in hearing what I had to say was so awesome. Not only that, but I also got to represent multiple parts of who I am, as I got to sing with the chorus and Soundwaves as well. The fact that one teacher could organize the whole thing is incredibly impressive, there was such a wonderful turnout and I feel so lucky to have been a part of it.”
The inaugural Showcase took place in March 2023 and featured student-engineered cars, bacterial art, and a robotic arm demonstration.
“We want our students to feel like there is always a place for them to explore, and the Showcase is a great demonstration of how driven and creative our school community truly is,” Superintendent Beaudoin said.
STEAM club at Memorial Elementary School, Candace Stremple, Elia Simon, Evelyn Bergeron, Mia Stefanovich, Lucia Ochs, Harley Lage, Georgia Kordonis, Audrey Donnellan-Valade, Leo Willmott, Brody Brennock.
Arion Stremple and Owen Gaudet, with the Middle School Math Team, organized a ‘Starburst Math Challenge’. A game where you choose different levels of difficulty in math to win prizes.
Artwork done by Manchester and Essex Elementary school students.
High School Student, Sadie Rich, with the Poetry Club, creating black out poetry using science text and an electric typewriter.
