Page 12 - TTWISummer2026

STEM
Page 12 Electronic Edition: www .teachingtodaywi .com

the father of two students was among the
Shuttles Span Generations original Dream Flight crew members in 1990.
During the STEM Shuttle visit, his wife, the
school psychiatrist, wore the same uniform her
husband wore decades earlier. (See pictures)
Also pictured are the STEM Shuttle, and
the original shuttle with one of its student
crews from 1990.
The student’s grandparents, Wausau resi-
dents Frank and Kathy Rubino, made the 2-day
visit to Lodi possible by their donation to the
Dream Flight USA Foundation.
To learn more about the STEM Shuttle and
its mission, please visit www.stemshuttle.com

Other students filled mission support
roles, working as television and print reporters,
medical staff, security guards, and radio opera-
tors in mission control.
After the district program ended, Ryan
When the STEM Shuttle (STEM Science, a discarded yellow school bus into a space continued the concept by creating the Dream
Technology, Engineering and Math) arrived shuttle and developed a curriculum centered Flight USA Foundation and its STEM Shuttle,
at the Lodi Elementary School last spring, on experiential STEM learning. a full-size motor coach converted for hands-on
the visit marked more than a day of hands-on For 10 years, the shuttle traveled to learning opportunities. For the past 20 years,
science learning. It also brought together two elementary schools across the district and the STEM Shuttle has visited schools across
generations of the unique education program. occasionally to other Wisconsin districts. In the state, typically docking for one to three
Dream Flight Wausau began in 1990, the program’s first year, parents, grandparents, days at a time.
when Sharon Ryan, then an elementary teacher and volunteers made blue flight suits for the The connection came full circle in May of
in the Wausau School District, helped turn students who served as astronauts. this year at the Lodi Elementary School, where

At MPS STEAM Fair, Experiments and Engineering Rule the Day Continued from Page 11

plant exposed to classical music would do Roaming Judges
better. By Day 5 of Lionel’s experiment, the
classical music plant was already showing Judges who roam the fair to examine the
signs of sprouting, while the rock music exhibits and quiz the students are checking to
plant was not. “By Day 30, you can see that see how well students followed the processes
I have a lot of flowers on the classical music — incorporating background research plus
plant, and the rock music plant didn’t have experimenting and testing to make their claim,
as many. My hypothesis was correct,” Lionel come to their conclusion, or solve a problem.
said. He added that his online research found The judges also consider a project’s
other experiments showing that gentle music connection to the real world and whether the
appeared to stimulate growth, while harsher project furthers research on its topic.
sounds appeared to stress plants. Ashley Hughes, an MPS Office of
In addition to conducting experiments Finance employee who has been volunteering
and testing prototypes, students researched as a STEAM Fair judge for about 10 years, said
their topics and constructed their displays of students, “I like the excitement they all have
for the 19th annual MPS STEAM Fair, cel- and the interest they have in their own projects
ebrating science, technology, engineering, when they’re talking about their projects.”
art, and math. Tomorrow’s SHEroes Winner
The fair this year was held in the One student was chosen for the Tomor-
fieldhouse at Harold S. Vincent School of row’s SHEroes in STEAM award: Az Zariyah
Agricultural Sciences, 7501 N. Granville Taylor of Westside Academy. The award is pre-
Road. While at Vincent, STEAM Fair par-
humans can uniquely do very well,” he said. affects plants’ growth. “My mom always liked sented each year to a female student in grades 5
“The human body itself is actually stronger listening to music while cleaning, and she ticipants toured the agricultural buildings and to 7. It honors former K-8 science instructional
than machines trying to do the same action.” loved plants. She always had a lot of plants. checked out kinetic art, glow art, rockets, and coach Lisa Martin and Ms. Martin’s work to
I was curious if it truly affected the plants’ drones. build the STEAM Fair and other STEAM
Plants and Music growth, the type of music you play,” Lionel This year, students completed more opportunities for female students in MPS.
Meanwhile, Lionel Cansino, who is in the said. than 270 projects in science and engineering.
7th grade at H.W. Longfellow School, decided He exposed one plant to classical music (Many of the students worked in teams on
to investigate whether exposure to music and the other to rock music; he suspected the projects.) milwaukeepublicschools.org