Independence, Cuyahoga Heights students partner for STEM Day

A STEM Day was held on May 21 on the field at Cuyahoga Heights Local Schools stadium for third-graders from Independence Primary School and Cuyahoga Heights Elementary School, because of the collaborative efforts of Independence teacher Donna McFarland and Cuyahoga Heights teacher Barb Currey.

The event gave students a chance to partake in hands-on activities that focused on math and science-related problems. It also gave students a chance to partner with their pen pals, as Cuyahoga Heights and Independence students wrote to each other through the school year.

The students spent the day rotating through stations that included creating parachutes to save a doll, building and shooting off 3D printed rockets, creating simple circuits, building sails to race 3D printed boats, building and racing 3D printed race cars and competing with catapults.

The collaboration between the two schools began in the fall when McFarland and Currey coordinated a field trip to the Land Lab, known as the Independence Outdoor Education Center. It is located near the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and contains more than 50 acres, including hiking trails.

Featured image photo caption: Third-graders from Independence Primary and Cuyahoga Heights Elementary schools gather at the Cuyahoga Heights stadium to enjoy STEM Day.