Hawley Elementary School hosted its annual Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) Night for third and fourth graders on the evening of April 26. STEAM is an educational movement that helps students learn to think critically about the world around them.

Math/Science Specialist Amy Hiruo said that 40 students were registered to attend STEAM Night with their parent or guardian. All were invited to participate in the many hands-on activities throughout the school's gymnasium and art classroom.

Stations in the gymnasium included building an aluminum foil boat, setting it afloat in a water-filled tank, and seeing how many pennies it could hold before sinking; learning about binary code while making jewelry; creating a marble maze; using a miniature catapult; practicing focusing with a microscope; working through a problem-solving activity using a paperclip and gummy worms; and operating a coding app called LightBot. There were also Chrome books and literature available for students to find out more about careers in STEAM that would interest them.

Over in the art classroom, art teacher Kim Hossler displayed different images of Leonardo da Vinci's botanical drawings and helped guide students as they worked.

On her erase board, she wrote a message for STEAM Night attendees that said, "Artists draw to explore. Artists draw to understand. Artists and scientists use their powers of observation to describe and record what they see. Artists use the elements of art: line, shape, color, [and] texture to capture a subject."

With the help of Hawley School teachers volunteering their time and expertise for the after school event, students were given the opportunity to gain more steam toward a career in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics.