STEM saves Hansel and Gretel

February 6, 2023

Butler Catholic School students celebrated critical thinking and teamwork during Catholic Schools Week with a school-wide STEM project Feb. 1! Based on the German fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel,” students were randomly assigned to groups to work together and help Hansel and Gretel capture the witch.

BCS faculty member Kristen Singleton said the project allowed students to work with kids from other grades in order to complete tasks.

“The goal was for them to build a cage that Hansel and Gretel can escape from, but the witch can’t,” Singleton explained.

After receiving their group assignment, students read a prompt about their mission and received a bag of ‘building’ materials. Organized and prepared by Singleton, each bag contained popsicle sticks, yarn, string, cardboard, pipe cleaners, foil, and a paper plate. Students were also given a length of masking tape.

“They got to use tape, but not glue,” Singleton said.

This way, students learned how to portion out their materials and think of ways to make every item count.

The materials are examples of the many things students use in the school Makerspace, where they practice critical thinking and problem solving by working through challenges throughout the year.

When planning for Catholic Schools Week at BCS, teachers and staff coordinate to develop a week of exciting, engaging events that give students the chance to celebrate the importance of school choice and Catholic education in today’s world.

The STEM event came to be after older members of Student Council approached their advisors this year with an idea for a project.

“The Student Council really wanted to do something with the little kids,” Singleton said.

By working together, students learned from each other and pooled their strengths to develop ideas. As their cages began to take shape, they discovered that thinking about things in a new way and bouncing concepts off others is often the ticket to achieving a goal.

For more pictures of Catholic Schools Week events, visit the Butler Catholic School Facebook page!