Leadership Academy Project Spotlight: STEM Camp at Local School Makes Science Fun for Elementary Kids

Reprinted from Traditions, Spring 2017-2018
July 25, 2017

Marina Tschida and Olivia Kaus developed a
 two-week, after-school STEM camp for students at Holy Spirit School as their Leadership Academy project.

When presented with the challenge to design and lead
 their own project for Leadership Academy, seniors Marina Tschida and Olivia Kaus knew they wanted to address a worrisome trend they saw in elementary students: a decrease in the fascination for science as the students get older.

The girls created a STEM camp for students in grades
3-5 at Holy Spirit Catholic School. Lesson plans focused on hands-on activities that taught the students complex concepts such as infinity, exponential growth and the Fibonacci sequence. Tschida explained that the kids really had fun with these math and science activities and were really engaged. “Most importantly, we tried to teach the kids how to think, often using the scientific method and different engineering methods to solve problems.”

The camp, which filled quickly, was full of fun activities designed for elementary aged students. According to these camp organizers, perhaps the most engaging activity was the egg drop which focused on teaching students how to think and analyze critically in order to design a protective egg capsule that would protect an egg that is dropped from high distances. Students tested and revised their design using a limited amount of materials and had to work collaboratively.

Leadership Academy is based on Catholic Social Teachings and the ‘Call to Full Participation in the Community” inspired the two seniors to create this camp at the grade school they both attended, Holy Spirit. “Holy Spirit was our family for eight years and we wanted to give back to our own community,” explained Kaus. “We wanted to pass down our knowledge and show students that they can make an impact in their own community and even throughout the world.”

“To see them (Marina and Olivia) share their passion for science, math, engineering and technology with younger students is truly remarkable and a great gift to the Holy Spirit community,” expressed Dr. Mary Adrian, Principal of Holy Spirit Catholic School.

The seniors believe that the specific curriculum and challenges faced in Leadership Academy provided them with strong skills, enabling them to be successful.

“We learned how to communicate effectively
in many situations...learning the importance of organization, making an agenda to present new information and to effectively use other people’s time.
I was able to be patient in the classroom, professional in meeting with administration and be organized in parent communication,” explained Tschida. “These are crucial leadership skills for school, in the workplace and in life in general."

Kaus continued, “Leadership Academy has given me the self-confidence and tools to go about accomplishing something I am extremely passionate about...CDH has given me more opportunities than I would have ever imagined to lead by example and give back to our world.”

Both Tschida and Kaus plan to continue their education in the sciences. Tschida plans to attend University of Wisconsin-Madison in the School of Engineering to study Chemical Engineering. Kaus will attend the University of Minnesota as a biochemistry major and was accepted into the Dean’s Scholars Program, a leadership program for scientists.

This article and more are featured in the Spring 2017-2018 issue of the CDH Magazine, Traditions.