Morinville students soar to new heights in STEAM learning

By Stephen Dafoe
On Wednesday, Oct. 30, the Morinville Fire Department’s Ladder 4 became an unexpected classroom as it was called to Four Winds Public School for a unique physics and engineering experiment. The challenge involved hoisting a pile of pumpkins into the sky for the Grade 8 and 9 STEAM students.
Vice Principal and STEAM Academy teacher Christina Dafoe explained the premise of the challenge: “The students must drop a pumpkin from 65 feet while protecting it with recycled materials, within a $20 budget, to prevent it from breaking.” The hands-on experiment followed prior tests conducted at heights of 5, 10, and 15 feet.
In preparation, students researched previous pumpkin drop experiments, learning about various materials and their properties. They delved into the principles of physics, including gravity, force, and momentum, and tested sample materials from different heights to assess their effectiveness.
The excitement built as members of the Morinville Fire Department dropped six pumpkins, each encased in protective capsules, from the top of Ladder 4. Teams of STEAM students and their enthusiastic Grade 5 and 6 peers watched, cheering as each team’s capsule was released. The designs ranged from cushioned bases to well-wrapped capsules equipped with parachutes, showcasing both the student’s creativity and engineering skills.
A highlight for the students gathered to watch was Firefighters dropping several unprotected pumpkins to the tarp below.
While the event provided a lively break from regular schoolwork for the younger students, it was another lesson in applied science. “It’s all about using engineering and the design process in a fun way for the kids,” Dafoe remarked.
Dafoe received the National Certificate of Excellence for Teaching Excellence in STEM as part of the Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence. She was one of only two educators in Canada to receive the award this year.
Publisher’s note: The author of this article, Stephen Dafoe, is not related to the subject, Christina Dafoe, beyond having the same surname.