The Westmoreland Central School District’s Zone for Imagination, Innovation and Inspiration (Zi3) brought families together for some Halloween fun.
During the evening of October 23, the Zi3 hosted its first family night of the year, “Halloween Family Night,” at the Upper Elementary School. Seventy-one families, totaling 117 students and their parents, attended. 
The fun, Halloween-themed event featured nine stations, each with a different activity. Families could choose three stations to visit. The stations were:
Batman's Bat House – Families learned about the importance of bats in our environment and were able to build their own bat houses out of lumber. Richard Getchell of Deansboro generously donated 100 board feet of American Tamarack lumber.
Illuminating Lava Lamp – Families learned about chemical reactions and were able to create and take home their own mini lava lamps.
Harry Potter's Potions Class – Families learned about chemical reactions that create a mini "explosion" based on the “Polyjuice Potion” made in Harry Potter. They were also able to make their own craft version of "Truth Serum" complete with an antique key and glitter.
Wrath of the Wicked Witch – Families competed in an engineering design challenge to create the tallest and strongest tower using 100 toothpicks and 25 Sour Patch Kids. Once built and measured, the towers were blasted with the wind of the “Wicked Witch” (hair dryer) to see if they would remain standing.
Ghost Painting – Families painted their own wooden ghosts that were engraved using the Zi3’s laser engraver.
Finger Knit Your Own Snake – Families learned how to knit their own snakes using only their fingers.
Glowing Halloween Mask – Families worked together to make simple circuits that would light up a Frankenstein, mummy, witch, pumpkin or ghost Halloween mask.
Breakout of the Lab! – Families worked on a Halloween-themed breakout box with many locks to solve the riddle of Dr. Frankenstein's monster.
"The Halloween Family Night provided students and parents an opportunity to explore STEAM (science-technology-engineering-art-math) with a spooky twist,” Mrs. Davis, Zi3 coordinator, said. “Westmoreland has an awesome community. It's fantastic to see more and more families attending our STEAM nights. Nights like these not only make fun family memories, but also help students become problem solvers and embrace their creativity."
“Halloween Family Night” wouldn’t have been possible without the support of so many. The Zi3 greatly thanks all of its volunteers, including Mr. Pacicca, Mrs. Riggles, Mrs. Reynolds, Mr. Owens, Mr. Boisen, Mrs. Sorensen, Mrs. Burrows, Mrs. Brindisi, Mrs. Hecklau, Mrs. Bonomo, Mrs. Scoones, Mrs. Whitney, Mrs. Patrick, Mrs. Wolfanger, Mrs. Kirk, Mr. Utter, Mrs. Livermore, Mrs. Haggerty, Mrs. Parzych and Mrs. Beauvais, as well as the Board of Education, Mr. Migliori, Mr. Healey, Mr. Polera, Mrs. O’Connell, Mr. Saxton and Mr. Kennedy.
The Zi3 also thanks Hannaford in New Hartford for donating bottled water and napkins, its club members for decorating cupcakes and helping to set up and all those who support the Zi3 Club and its mission.
The Zi3’s next family night, “Santa’s Workshop,” is on December 3. For more information and to register, click here.