White Pine's STEM Portfolio

 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...