White Pine's STEM Portfolio

Lifetime Sports Immersion Week has been a great opportunity for our STEM Academy students to get active, try something new, and explore the importance of lifelong fitness. Students spent time at Gold’s Gym and McCowan Park participating in activities designed to build strength, coordination, teamwork, and confidence. From gym workouts to frisbee golf, students were able to experience different ways to stay active while learning skills they can continue using well beyond their time at White Pine. Immersion Week is all about giving students hands-on experiences outside of the traditional classroom. Lifetime Sports gives them the chance to challenge themselves, support their classmates, and discover activities that can help them build healthy habits for life. It’s been a busy—and active—week for our STEM Academy students!

Our 6th grade students had the opportunity to take learning beyond the classroom this week with a visit to the Idaho State University greenhouses as part of We Can STEM! During the tour, students got an up-close look at the science behind plant growth and greenhouse operations while learning more about how STEM concepts are used in the real world. Experiences like this give students the chance to explore new interests, ask questions, and see where their STEM learning could take them in the future. Thank you to ISU and We Can STEM for providing our students with this hands-on learning opportunity!

 White Pine STEM Academy students recently demonstrated exceptional innovation, research, and scientific curiosity at the 2026 STEM competition, bringing home numerous awards across multiple categories. The event showcased student projects from across the region, highlighting creativity, problem-solving, and real-world scientific application. We are incredibly proud to share that White Pine STEM Academy was recognized as a Top Performing School , a testament to the dedication of our students, teachers, and mentors who work every day to cultivate a culture of inquiry and discovery.  Student Research Making an Impact Several students received recognition for their outstanding research projects. Clara Briscoe earned multiple awards for her project, “How Does the Amount of Datasets Affect an AI’s Ability to Recognize Human-Labeled Emotional Patterns?” Clara received Teacher’s Choice First Place , the INL Future Scientist and Engineer Leadership Award , the ISU Best Use of Artifi...

We are incredibly proud of our students for their outstanding performance at the Future City Competition in Boise , a nationwide STEM program that challenges students to imagine, design, and build cities of the future. Throughout the project, students researched real-world problems, applied engineering and science concepts, worked within design constraints, and collaborated as teams to create innovative, sustainable city solutions. At the competition, students presented detailed city models, essays, and presentations to judges, defending their design choices and explaining how their cities addressed challenges such as sustainability, transportation, land use, and resource management. The experience required critical thinking, teamwork, public speaking, and creativity—skills that extend far beyond the classroom. 👏 Team Coastopia earned the Tap to Tributary Award , recognizing exceptional water resource management from drinking water to wastewater through smart, sustainable design. Coa...

 History came alive in an exciting way as our third graders wrapped up their Ancient Rome unit with a hands-on, high-energy activity inspired by the Punic Wars . Instead of simply reading about history, students stepped into it—transforming their classroom into a friendly battlefield filled with learning, creativity, and a lot of flying paper. Students were divided into two teams, each representing opposing sides from the Punic Wars. Using materials they designed and built themselves, students created catapults to launch paper projectiles across the room. Before the showdown began, teams discussed strategy, tested designs, and made adjustments—putting problem-solving and engineering skills to work alongside their history knowledge. The activity gave students a deeper understanding of how ancient warfare worked while reinforcing key concepts from the unit, such as innovation, strategy, and the importance of resources and planning in historical conflicts. It also encouraged collab...

 Last week, White Pine students experienced science in action thanks to a visit from our community partners at the Idaho Environmental Coalition . Representatives from the coalition were on campus filming a hands-on lesson focused on cloud creation in Ms. Paxman’s middle school science class , giving students a unique opportunity to see classroom learning connect directly to real-world science. During the lesson, students explored how clouds form by observing changes in temperature, moisture, and air pressure. Rather than simply reading about weather patterns, students engaged in an interactive demonstration that allowed them to ask questions, make predictions, and observe scientific processes firsthand. The filming captured both the experiment itself and the curiosity and engagement of students as they worked through the phenomenon together. Partnerships like this are an important part of our STEM-focused approach at White Pine. When students interact with professionals working...