Zanewood Community STEAM School scholars showed off a year’s worth of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) learning on May 16 with a STEAMfest event.
Covering topics such as gardening, soil erosion, protecting endangered species, predators, product design, movement and more, the school’s scholars spent close to 600 hours this year on STEAM programming. Scholars from different grade levels presented their projects to one another during the school day, then families got a turn to see the culmination of their work at the evening event.
In addition, STEAMfest also included a book fair and had community partners in attendance to provide interactive family engagement activities and games. A local church provided dinner and the volunteers to serve it.
Katharine Dwyer, the school’s STEM coordinator, said that student agency and student voice was evident in the projects.
“There’s a lot of student ownership and connection to these projects,” she said. “They’re very proud to show off their work and their learning today.”
Dwyer said Zanewood school became a STEAM school five years ago. In that time, the school gained three times more community partners and have increased their STEAM-specific instruction from 44 hours in 2018-19 to nearly 580 hours this year.
Zanewood Community STEAM School is a magnet school within Osseo Area Schools, and space is available for the 2023-24 school year. Learn more about enrollment.
