STEAM
STEAM: Innovate, Design, and Engineer the Future
The STEAM Program at Maureen Joy Charter School integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics to create hands-on learning experiences that challenge students to think critically, collaborate, and innovate.
In STEAM, students become designers, inventors, and problem-solvers. They explore real-world challenges through experiments, engineering projects, and creative design tasks that connect learning across subjects. Whether coding a simple program, building a model bridge, or designing a prototype for a new invention, students apply knowledge in meaningful and exciting ways.
Our goal is to cultivate curiosity and prepare students for a future driven by creativity, innovation, and technology. Through STEAM, students learn that mistakes are part of discovery—and that with persistence and imagination, they can turn any idea into something extraordinary.
Maureen Joy CO2 Wooden Car Races
Our 8th Grade STEAM students spent the first quarter designing and building their own CO₂ dragsters! These small wooden cars gave students hands-on experience with woodworking tools while introducing key concepts in aerodynamics, force, and energy.
As part of our partnership with Durham Academy, their 9th-grade physics students and middle school STEAM classes completed the same project. We came together for a joint race day, where students tested their dragsters head-to-head and participated in collaborative art and engineering stations, including linoblock printing, woodburning, and even battling robots.
It was an exciting day of creativity, competition, and cross-school collaboration!
Project-Based Learning in Action
- Technology & Digital Fabrication: Utilizing software and hardware for prototyping, including 3D printing to rapidly create physical models and learning block-based and text-based coding to program devices.
- Engineering & Robotics: Designing, building, and testing mechanical solutions and competing in robotics challenges.
- Applied Design & Crafting: Hands-on work using tools and materials for practical construction, including wood crafting to build small-scale structures and functional designs.
- Design Thinking: Utilizing the 'Art' component of STEAM to foster creative, human-centered approaches to problem-solving and prototype development.
