“SD’s new Middle School STEM Elective is off to an exciting start this year,” shares Math Teacher Rose Tyvand. “We are combining science, technology, engineering, and math into some engaging, learning-by-doing experiences!”

In this hands-on class, students apply the skills they’ve learned in their math and science lessons to solve real-world problems. “The year kicked off with an engineering challenge,” continues Tyvand, “with students working in teams to design and build towers, testing their skills in collaboration and problem-solving, not to mention sturdy design. They then moved on to designing sports helmets to protect their ‘egg brains,’ learning about the human brain and engineering principles in the process.”

Most recently, the class took on a Halloween-themed challenge inspired by spiders that use silk strands to parachute through the air. “Students designed ‘spider gliders,’” explains Tyvand, “that had to safely transport a small plastic spider down a flight of stairs without letting it fall out of the parachute. The goal was to create the slowest glider, gently bringing the spider to the ground. In a fun twist, the slowest wins the race!” 

Both winning teams shared some of their engineering tips for a successful spider landing:

I learned that the flatter the top of the parachute, the better stability it will have.
Zalea F. ’31

We noticed that the bigger the surface of the parachute, the more drag it had.
Oliver B. ’31

I was surprised by how our parachute always landed upright, but it didn't go down very slowly.
Roman G. ’31

Something we learned: Don't use hot glue because it will burn through your plastic. We were using a thin green bubble wrap material that was as light as a feather but burned through.
Drake M. ’31

Next up, STEM Elective students are working on individual challenges such as Scratch coding projects, entering NASA art competitions, and continuing to apply their creativity and STEM knowledge to new and exciting projects.