Students learn science hands on at Makers Day

Fourteen second-floor classrooms at Glen Ridge High School were a hive of activity Saturday, March 16, for kids who like to tinker. 

It was Makers Day, a statewide initiative highlighting science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM activities. The event was made possible through the Glen Ridge Education Association with a Pride grant administered by the NJ Education Association. Observing its 10th anniversary March 15-17, Makers Day was open to all Glen Ridge district pupils and attracted 134 youth from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Classroom activities were led almost exclusively by volunteer district teachers. 

Visiting any of the 14 classrooms, the kids could fashion marshmallow launchers, a simple electric circuit to light a small bulb, or a homopolar motor — a motor driven only by magnetic force fields. 

Refreshments were provided by the Glen Ridge Home and School Association. 

Across the state, according to the Makers Day NJ website, mostly public libraries hosted the event. In Essex County, of the 16 sites listed, only two schools hosted: GRHS and Park Avenue Elementary School, in Orange. 

The GRHS activities were coordinated by Danielle Purciello, a freshman biology teacher with more than 10 years in the district. Ten of the 14 activities produced something that could be taken home, she said. These included air plant terrariums, Play Doh stress balls, origami puppies, colorful binary-coded bracelets spelling out a child’s name and a practically indestructible duct tape wallet.

“The Play Doh stress balls were a big hit,” Purciello said. “All ages wanted to do that. It was Play Doh put into a balloon with an emoji face.”

Another interesting project was the paper circuit. This was only a circular battery, the thinnest copper tape and a bulb affixed onto a sheet of paper. But when contact was made, the effect of its simplicity, the tiny bulb lighting was lightning. This activity was led by Ridgewood Avenue School teacher Lisbeth Ellersick.

“She’s amazing,” Purciello said of her district colleague.

The children who attended the activities were mostly K-8 with the older students acting as volunteers. One thing the volunteers did for the younger set was convert metric units, if they were using metric rulers, into imperial units of inches provided by the instructions.

Purciello said she would like more older students involved, not as volunteers but as hands-on participants.  

“I’m inclined towards middle school and high school students, for what they can do,” she said.

She wanted this because in middle and high school, while courses are offered to explore Maker Day discoveries, students may not have the time or opportunity to take them before graduating.

Remote controlled cars were in another classroom. According to the activity description, this was to “drive an RC car through a leveled obstacle course.” It was sponsored by the Glen Ridge Middle School Student Council and supervised by Dave Majewski, a middle school teacher.

“That was Dave’s idea,” Purciello said of the activity. “After Makers Day, we did a feedback survey on this and got some very nice compliments to keep enhancing it for years to come.”

Purciello would like to get more staff involved next year believing there needs to be greater commitment to Makers Day. 

“Also, I’d like them to come up with their own ideas for a room,” she said. “Then you take over the room and have it for your own. I gave everyone buckets filled with supplies and directions and had them preview it all. But it’s hard to follow someone else’s directions. This year, they were executing mine. It would be better if they came up with their own and in charge of the activity.” 

The activity, “Magnet Motor & Emoji Dancers,” was led by GRHS teacher, Andrew Shohen.

“Andrew went down to his room and got all these robots for the kids,” Purciello said. “The kids had more hands-on.”

The Pride grant which made Makers Day possible was thanks largely to GRHS Chinese instructor Shihong Zang. She explained that the purpose of these grants is to encourage family activities with the goal of building a positive relationship between the school and community.

She had attended the NJEA convention in November and discovered Pride grant opportunities and brought it to the attention of the GREA. Consequently, she became its Pride chairperson.

“So far we’ve had four Pride events,” Shihong said. “We’ve had a Diwali celebration, a saxophone discovery workshop, a Lunar New Year celebration and now Makers Day.”

On May 18, another Pride event, the annual Art and Eco Fair, will be held. But before that, on Monday, April 8, weather permitting, Glen Ridge can observe 90% of a total solar eclipse. The Pride event will be held in Hurrell Field between 3-4 p.m.

  Glen Ridge, Makers Day