Curtis High School’s annual STEM Night on April 11th, 2024, was another smashing hit among students and faculty, drawing in and filling the cafeteria with people eager to show off the math and science departments skills.
This year, new stations entered the fray, including the Environmental Club’s upcycled water bottle station, where students designed and painted used plastic bottles the club had collected. Another popular station was the snow-making station. “The best stations are always the ones where you see a reaction happen,” said junior Angelina Borrero.
Another junior, Raya Scheffler, echoed this sentiment, saying that she enjoyed the slime-making station in particular, “it was fun, interactive, and reminds me of when I made slime when I was younger.”
STEM Night appeals to the childish aspects of high schoolers while providing the knowledge to explain how these reminiscent activities that were once a wonder are also a scientific phenomenon.
Ms. Pizzarelli, a chemistry teacher, loved the Bighead Photo-Op station in particular. Incorporating anything social media into the event made it a great hit and appealed to the tech minded teens of today.
Planning began in September, Ms. Holzer, Ms. Goodacre, Ms. Jackson, Ms. Guash, and Ms. Pizzarelli met with monthly checklists to raise money and strategize how to make the year’s event even better than before. Notable funding came from the companies Casio and NASA to provide prizes for the event. The PTA and Curtis Alumni Association, and the STEM bake sale in March also added funds
Ms. Pizzarelli made clear that the most memorable difference from last year was the absence of her fog machine; “so no one got kicked out.” Last year, it triggered the fire alarms in the cafeteria and forced everyone in attendance to evacuate the building. This STEM Night, however, the activities ran much smoother, a testament to the vigorous planning and effort of teachers and volunteers alike.
