White Pine's STEM Portfolio

White Pine 2nd graders had a truly memorable learning experience this week with a special visit from Melroy Teigen , a highly accomplished engineer who spent his career with the U.S. Forest Service . Mr. Teigen rose to the position of Regional Engineer of the Pacific Southwest Region and served as the Director of Engineering , overseeing major engineering projects across the western United States. But one of the most remarkable parts of his career came during a historic natural disaster— the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980. As the Forest Engineer at the time , Mr. Teigen was responsible for leading the reconstruction of critical infrastructure damaged by the eruption. His projects included: Rebuilding roads, bridges, and campgrounds destroyed by volcanic activity Constructing an 8,000-foot tunnel to help lower and manage water levels in Spirit Lake Designing and overseeing the building of three visitor centers to help educate the public and honor the impact of the er...

 At White Pine, we believe in learning that goes beyond the classroom—and our latest student-led project is the perfect example. This spring, students took the initiative to build and launch a school compost bin , and they’ll be responsible for maintaining it throughout the year. The project began with lessons on sustainability, ecosystems, and the environmental impact of food waste. From there, students got hands-on: designing the bin, assembling materials, and creating a system for collecting compostable items like fruit peels, vegetable scraps, and paper towels from classrooms and lunches. But this compost bin is more than a school project—it’s a valuable learning tool and a step toward a greener campus. 🌍 Why Composting Matters Composting has a number of powerful benefits, including: Reducing landfill waste by diverting food scraps and biodegradable materials Enriching soil for school gardens with nutrient-rich compost Cutting down greenhouse gas emissions by l...

We are proud to celebrate an exciting achievement by several of our STEM Academy students who competed in this year’s Science Olympiad —a prestigious academic competition that challenges students in various fields of science, engineering, and technology. Held annually, Science Olympiad brings together top student teams to compete in events ranging from physics and chemistry to environmental science, engineering design, and lab-based challenges. Each event is designed to promote teamwork, inquiry, and real-world problem solving—core values we embrace at White Pine. Our students rose to the challenge and made us incredibly proud with their performance: 🥈 Trison and Daniel earned 2nd Place in Optics , an event focused on the behavior and properties of light. They demonstrated their understanding of mirrors, lenses, and lasers through a combination of theoretical knowledge and practical application. 🥇 Laneah and Devin took home 1st Place in the Tower event , where students design a...

  We’re thrilled to share some exciting news from our Robotics Team! Over the weekend, our amazing students competed in the Botball Robotics Competition —and walked away with 2nd Place Overall along with the Engineering Design Award ! 🏆 The Botball program is an international educational robotics competition that challenges middle and high school students to design, build, and program autonomous robots to complete complex tasks on a game board. Unlike remote-controlled robotics competitions, Botball robots must operate entirely on their own, making this a true test of problem-solving, coding, collaboration, and engineering design. Our students have spent months preparing—brainstorming ideas, testing prototypes, debugging code, and refining their designs. Winning the Engineering Design Award is a testament to their thoughtful process, creativity, and technical skill. Their second place finish overall reflects just how hard they worked and how well they collaborated as a team. Rob...

White Pine’s 6th grade girls recently had an exciting and empowering opportunity to attend the She Can STEM event—an experience designed specifically for female and female-identifying students to explore the world of STEM careers and envision themselves as future innovators, creators, and problem-solvers. The event brought together female STEM professionals from across Idaho to share their career paths, insights, and real-world experiences. Students learned about the many STEM careers available in our own state , and how these professionals are making a difference in their communities every day. After hearing from these inspiring women, students participated in a variety of hands-on, interactive activities that brought STEM concepts to life. From building and experimenting to exploring new technologies, our students had the chance to dive in, get curious, and learn by doing. Opportunities like She Can STEM are so important in helping young learners—especially girls—see that there’s...

On March 8th , our 5th graders had an exciting opportunity to put their engineering skills to the test during STEM with a Friend in our MakerSpace ! Led by the EcosySTEM Ambassadors , students learned how engineers design structures to withstand the powerful forces of a storm surge .  Using hands-on materials, teams worked together to build and test their own storm-resistant structures, applying principles of stability, durability, and problem-solving . It was a fantastic experience watching students think like real-world engineers—brainstorming, designing, and making improvements along the way! A huge thank you to the Idaho National Lab for making this event possible through their generous grant. Opportunities like these inspire our students to explore, create, and innovate in STEM!