Sara Sandstrom-Kobi, Nederland. For several weeks Nederland Elementary students prepared science and art projects for the STEAM Family Night event on March 7th. STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, art and math.

The Science Fair is a volunteer event at the elementary school. This year there were 64 projects with 84 participants. Organizer Kelly Detzel Hess says, “The purpose of the science fair is to foster a love of science in young students. This is a chance for them to choose what they’d like to learn about, something they are passionate in! They get to take ownership in their learning.”

The Art Show and Science Fair were combined two years ago. Susan Blurton, elementary art teacher, said that years prior art shows were held at the Nederland Library. However, due to spacing not all student work could be displayed. Blurton says, “The Art Show is a school wide event to showcase all our student’s work. I feel this is a good opportunity for students to participate, display creativity and appreciate the arts.”

This year the family event included hands on robotic programing with CU Science Discovery. The middle/high school robotics club also demonstrated an awesome robot they created. The energy around learning and creating was palpable at Nederland Elementary as students proudly showed their work to family and friends.

(Originally published in the March 14, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)