BAILEYTON, Ala. – Fairview High School, Fairview Middle School and Parkside School came together on Thursday, Oct. 23, to bring science and Halloween fun together for a hands-on learning experience designed to inspire young students and spark a love for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education.
The schools hosted their annual Halloween STEM Day, an interactive science event for pre-K through fifth-grade students, featuring demonstrations and activities across multiple fields of science, technology, engineering, art and math.
“We have a mix of robotics, art and engineering. Students have built pumpkins that act as controllers for games, our VEX Robotics team is showcasing their work ahead of their November competition and we even have dry ice demonstrations. There’s a little bit of everything,” said Elizabeth Lockhart, Fairview High School science teacher.
This year’s event featured 23 demonstration tables and 13 themed games, allowing students to explore areas of interest, from chemistry experiments and physics demos to robotics and art.
The partnership between Fairview and Parkside grew out of Lockhart’s desire to strengthen connections between the two schools. “I work with Parkside’s principal, Caleb Elrod, often, and since it’s one of our feeder schools, I wanted a way to bring our students together so that transition doesn’t feel so disjointed,” she explained.
Lockhart said that while the event is geared toward younger students, it’s just as valuable for the high schoolers who help organize it.
“Our big kids get into it just as much as the little ones,” she said. “They designed and researched all the demonstrations themselves, focusing on what they’re most interested in. That excitement really carries over and helps inspire the younger kids.”
This year marks the fourth annual Halloween STEM Day, and the second time it has been hosted at Parkside. Lockhart said both students and teachers look forward to it each year. “They love it,” she said. “The big kids might even love it more than the little ones. They get to be silly, have fun and still trick the younger students into learning something new.”
The collaboration won’t stop there. Lockhart shared that the schools are already planning a spring STEM event for sixth through eighth graders, featuring large-scale, outdoor experiments that can’t be done in a regular classroom.
“Every year it grows, and every year we see how much it means to both our students and our community,” she said.
