Carroll Middle School (CMS) student showcased their work to parents and the community Monday evening during the first annual Maker Fair. MakerSquad is a group of Carroll Middle School learners who meet every Monday in the Media Center from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. after school to learn about topics that truly interest them. More than 100 people showed up to see the students’ work in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) which varied from building robots to a homemade Dance Dance Revolution game. One future robotic engineer, 6th grader Bryton Treadway, says any subject is open for discovery during MakerSquad.
Three teachers, Kelli Schulz, Kelly Borchers and Karla Flattery, started the program to show students learning can be fun and engaging. They even tapped local resources like Pella Corporation Automation Engineer, John Pauli. According to Pauli, the skills this group inspires are exactly what companies look for when hiring.
The teachers host this event every week on their own time, and Schulz says the student engagement makes it worth the extra effort.
MakerSquad is open for any middle schooler to participate. The teachers and mentors have expressed an interest in continuing this in future years if engagement remains high. You can find photos from the event included below this story.
