Page 14 - TTWINov2025

STEM
Page 14 Electronic Edition: www.teachingtodaywi.com

STEM for All: How Madison Schools Are Building Curiosity from

Kindergarten to College

At Shabazz High School, Project Green science courses at no cost, earning up to an
Team Limnology takes students outside, associate degree alongside their high school
where they study freshwater systems while diploma.
restoring local waterways — canoeing down K–8 students can take their learning
rivers, pulling invasive species and learning outdoors at the Madison School Forest, a
firsthand how science shapes the natural world 200-acre classroom owned by MMSD and
around them. managed by Madison School & Community
Opportunities in STEM expand beyond Recreation. There, through the Junior Forest-
the school day. In June 2025, West High ers program, students learn about ecosystems,
School’s Science Olympiad team placed climate change and conservation with a cur-
seventh overall at nationals, an MMSD team’s riculum created by a nearby college extension
best finish ever. The team took home the silver and MMSD’s Curriculum and Instruction
in studies of fossils, and bronze in air trajec- Department.
tory and experimental design. Clubs like Girls From the classroom to the forest, from
Empowerment in Mathematics (GEM) club at middle school makerspaces to college-level
West High labs, STEM education in MMSD is about
“There are endless opportunities and more than equations and experiments — it’s
topics for students to study in STEM, so I about discovery and belonging. By connecting
think it’s important for students to find their students to real-world experiences, commu-
niche,” Kundert said. “It can be easy to think nity partners, and future pathways, the district
Edell Fiedler, Executive Director of Commu- Memorial High School science club guided of the field as just textbooks or lab books full is helping every learner see themselves as
nications for the Madison Schools young learners through a night of discovery of equations, but it’s so much more. There’s an problem solvers, innovators and stewards of
STEM education at the Madison Met- last year — setting off model volcanoes, build- opportunity for everyone.” the world
ropolitan School District doesn’t just live on ing lemon batteries and watching homemade Partnerships strengthen that vision
high school lab tables or inside beakers — it’s lava lamps swirl to life. These moments of at every level. The Early College STEM
alive in outdoor classrooms, buzzing in gym- wonder set the stage for the years ahead, when Academy, a collaboration between MMSD
nasium science expos and flowing through curiosity matures into exploration and skill. and a local college, gives high school stu- www.madison.k12.wi.us
explorations on the city’s waterways. Whether For middle schoolers, that exploration dents a chance to take college-level math and
students are charting constellations in the dis- expands through the district’s new Career and
trict’s planetarium or examining samples at a Technical Education (CTE) Exploration and
local college, opportunities to explore science, Skill Development Program, a free, immersive
technology, engineering and math meet them opportunity launched in 2024. Sixth through 2025–2026 HUNCH
at every stage — from kindergarteners asking eighth graders dive into nearly 20 subjects
their first big questions to high schoolers including coding, robotics, engineering design, (High Schools United with NASA to Create Hardware)
earning college credit. health science and more, discovering how their
“Our ultimate goal of STEM education interests can grow into future careers. Culinary Challenge
is to spark curiosity early and keep it growing By high school, those early interests
through meaningful, hands-on experiences become even more focused. At La Follette
that connect learning to real life,” Becky High School, students in video game design The Astronaut Culinary Challenge devel-
Kundert, senior executive director of curricu- blend art, logic and physics, coding their own ops food items for the Astronauts aboard the
lum and learning said. 3D games in the coding language C# and cal- International Space Station. Each year there is
That spark shines at Huegel Elementary culating projectile motion to fine-tune their a new theme given out to the schools where the
School, where students from the Vel Phillips designs. students create new dishes taking into account
food processing procedure and nutritional
requirements so that their items will meet the
standards of the NASA Johnson Space Center
Food Lab.

2025–2026 Theme: Tacos (an
entree to be put in a flour
tortilla)
Schools in the US and abroad make
dishes based on the guidelines and theme. paper, and presentation video. The winning
There is a research paper to complete and a entree will be processed by the Johnson Space
video of your creation to post. After these Center Food Lab and sent up to the station for
preliminary culinary competitions, those with the astronauts to enjoy.
the highest scores from across the world are For more information, visit: https://www.
invited to Johnson Space Center for a final hunchculinary.com
competition where their work will be judged
by NASA Food Lab personnel, industry pro-
fessionals, ISS program office, and Astronauts
for quality, taste, their work on the research