The Zone for Imagination, Innovation and Inspiration (ZI3) hosted its second STEAM (science-technology-engineering-art-math) night of the school year on March 27.
More than 50 families, including 86 students in pre-kindergarten-8th grade, attended “STEAM Adventure Night” at the Upper Elementary School.
Families could participate in four interactive activities relating to science, technology, engineering, art and math. They were: 
Rocket Launch – students in grades 3-8 experimented with different angles to project their rocket the furthest distance. They were then challenged to adjust their rocket launching device to hit a target. The activity was run by Mr. Bashant and Ms. Larkin of the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES.
“Egg-cellent” Parachute – students in grades K-2 worked with their parents to create a parachute designed to save a plastic egg filled with beans from crashing to the floor and breaking open. Only the materials provided could be used. The activity was run by Mrs. Riggles.
Slime Room – students in grades K-8 learned how to mix various ingredients together to create their own slime. The activity was run by Mr. Pacicca.
Jelly Prints – students learned about mono-printing, or a form of printmaking that has lines or images that can only be made once. They then made their own unique piece of art. The activity was run by Mrs. Bevins.
Jump2Math – students played interactive math games on jumbo sized floor mats. The activity was run by Mrs. Bonomo, Mrs. DeMichele, Mrs. Sorensen and Mrs. VanDreason.
Zoo Mobile – students and their families were able to see, pet and learn about three animals from the Utica Zoo, a kestrel, rabbit and tortoise.
Virtual-Reality Tour – students were able to take a “virtual-reality” field trip up Mt. Everest using Google Expeditions, an immersive education app that allows students and their teachers to explore the world through more than 800 virtual-reality and 100 augmented-reality tours, or take a virtual-reality field trip to just about anywhere in the world. The activity was run by Mrs. Livermore.
Other Demonstrations – Mr. Boisen and his STEM (science-technology-engineering-math) students showcased their catapults and the coding behind them that make them work. Also, Mrs. Reynolds shared details about the “Marvel Superhero” project with parents. Mrs. Reynolds is working on the project with the ZI3 Club.
Mrs. Davis, ZI3 coordinator at the Westmoreland Central School District, spearheaded “STEAM Adventure Night.” She says activities and events designed to specifically focus on science, technology, engineering, art and math are important.
“It helps students look deeper into real-world situations and allows them to think both creatively and critically,” Mrs. Davis said. “It also helps students become more well-rounded.”
While also focusing on the future.
“Events like STEAM Adventure Night and STEM education in general prepare students for jobs that don’t yet exist,” Mrs. Davis explained. “Like our vision for ZI3, STEAM promotes imagination and innovation, which inspires others.”
In addition to the volunteers who ran activities, Mrs. Davis was assisted by Mr. Polera, Mr. Cardillo, Mrs. Gutowski, Mrs. Burrows and a few sixth grade students.
Upcoming ZI3 workshops include finger knitting, journal making and triple chocolate muffin making. As in the past, there will also be three ZI3 summer camps for students entering grades 3-8 - - “Maker Camp” (arts and crafts), “Star Wars STEM Camp” and “Mythological Bot Camp” (coding and robotics).