8th Annual DelranSTEM Fair

Delran High School hosted the 8th Annual Delran STEM Fair on Monday, May 19th, 2025. This annual event showcases STEM throughout the Delran Community, featuring student work from all schools, local community organizations, and local businesses and partners.

Outside the event, preceding the registration table, food from Kona Water Ice as well as additional reusable water bottles and snacks were available from the Delran Education Association via a FAST grant were available. The Delran Fire and Police Departments were present to showcase their vehicles and the STEM they use on their jobs. The South Jersey EV Club also held an electric vehicle showcase under the solar canopy, answering questions from the community about EVs.

FabLab and Engineering Activities

Upon entering the FabLab, participants could join DHS engineering staff Mr. Shaun Deloche and Mr. Paul Maraldo to create slot cars. This hands-on, interactive activity allowed participants to build a slot car from various parts, including prepared pieces from the Trotec laser cutters. STEMbassadors were on hand to assist with these projects as well and encourage participants to race their getaway cars in the ramps set up in the woodshop, measuring and calculating differences in distances.

STEMbassador Jackson Weller had experience creating slot cars in Mr. Deloche’s engineering class. He explained that in those activities, the high school students used software like Corel Draw and created their prototypes with cardboard before creating the laser-cut wood pieces on the Trotec. He and other STEMbassadors were observed helping students assemble the slot cars, especially the axles.

In addition to the racing ramps set up in the woodshop, Mrs. Jill Radwell, the middle school engineering teacher, was showcasing student work. Several of her 8th-grade engineering students demonstrated their simple/complex machines. STEM Fair participants used components, such as marbles, to view various chain reactions as the DMS students explained the various parts and how their machines worked.

After exiting the FabLab, student translators from NHS and DelranSTEM were available to provide their services to families. In the gym, an array of activities, demonstrations, and informational tables were set up for the community. This area was consistently bustling with activity, with many clubs and organizations showcasing their work in STEM.

One of the tables visited was for Marketa’s Journey. This 501(c)3 non-profit is in memory of Marketa McCabe, an engineering student who advocated for underrepresented women in STEM fields. In her memory, there are annual scholarships, nature and conservation efforts, and general awareness of impactful scientific research. Their table provided a hands-on demonstration about the impacts of water pollution and storm runoff. This year, senior STEMbassador Iris Li was awarded the scholarship. She commented she is very appreciative of the scholarship, including creating a beautiful “Thank You” card to show her gratitude. Congratulations, Iris! You can read more about Iris’ involvement with STEM and her journey here.

Another Advanced Placement (AP) student and STEMbassador Gabby Bolton discussed Horticulture and AP Environmental Science at the DHS Green Team table, as well as provided a compost mystery game. Mr. Tim Pilla, science teacher and advisor, showed various charts and photos to demonstrate the impact of the plant food and leaf mould. The plant food was made from the DMS Food Waste Warriors program and Green Team, and is very dense in nutrients for plants. The lead mould was made by DHS students. Additionally, they discussed their seed-saving program and other sustainability efforts.

Green Teams and Other Sustainability Efforts

Adjacent to their table was the DMS Green Team with a creative activity of making edible “compost.” Led by sixth graders Thayla, Seyma, Sky, and Jenessa, each food item in their activity represented a biodegradable or an item from nature that would be used to create real compost. The students at this table shared a presentation about the Food Waste Warriors program and how they volunteer their time during BEAR period and for other humanitarian efforts, like the Ronald McDonald House. These 6th-grade students were knowledgeable and passionate about helping the environment and reducing our footprints.

In younger grades, students also have dedicated Green Teams and learn about sustainability efforts. At Millbridge Elementary’s Green Team table, participants made slime in a problem-solving activity. At the Intermediate School’s table, students brought awareness regarding Brazilian rainforests and the Jungle Keepers. DIS Green Team also won the Philadelphia Zoo's UNLESS Contest.

The township’s Green Team was also present. This is a volunteer organization that works with the Sustainable New Jersey efforts to raise awareness and protect our natural resources. They brought nature indoors with them for the fair to demonstrate various leaves to help identify the backyard trees in our community. Brittany Garrison, NJ watershed ambassador, was also present to discuss how water quality impacts organisms in our community waterways.

Another popular table in this area was Delran Chickens, led by vice-chair Dana. She offered a plethora of information about getting started with chickens, the township ordinance, all associated costs and care, and just general chicken knowledge. Bernese, her hen friend, was very popular with children visiting the fair. Dana mentioned larger breeds like Bernese tend to be more child-friendly and have sweet dispositions. Anyone interested in more information can contact delranchickens@gmail.com. 

From the community, the Burlington County Parks System offered many nature-themed interactive activities and information, including a nature jeopardy board, and wildlife skull identification game. We observed several participants engaging in the skull identification game. They also had information about a variety of community programs, many of which are no cost, such as the Troll Trek, butterfly and pollinator gardens, and many nature programs and trails. A seasonal comprehensive program guide is also available digitally on their website to provide more information about their programming.

If birding is your call, the Ornithological Society of Delran was a club passionate about sharing their knowledge. 9th-grade students Zoe Mount, Ari Mount, and Olivia Gabor led activities, such as a birdwatching game, and provided information about the club’s outings, team-building, and the famed “100 Club” for identifying bird species, which also provides recipients with special commemorative regalia upon their graduation. Zoe enthusiastically noted that the “community of the club and being with people who genuinely care about more than themselves” is part of what draws her to the program. She enjoys meeting with other students who have shared interests in nature and bird-watching. The group showed me apps on their phones about birdwatching and discussed migration patterns and the rarity of seeing certain bird species in our area depending on the time of year. The club is led by DHS science teacher Mr. Nate Petitte.

A variety of student work was on display from the DMS and DHS Science Fairs. These students were honored in the Board of Education Meeting following the STEM Fair this evening. The district Math Coaches also provided information about their programs, with interactive math activities for participants to engage. There was information to keep the learning engaging throughout the summer at the STEAM Up! Camp table, led by high school math teacher Mrs. Jacky Carey. Camp runs from July 7 through July 31; the registration deadline is May 26. Read more about the camp and register here.

Other popular tables were hands-on demonstrations from Lockheed Martin, the Universal Technical Institute, and the K-8 robotics teams. 

Robotics in Delran Schools

Beginning in second grade, students begin learning about robotics. Over an 8-week cycle, students learn about motors, sensors, coding and more through a visual program, Lego WeDo 2.0. This program also offers stories to watch or read with each of the robotics activities, incorporating literacy with STEAM. In grades three through five, students also experiment with Lego robotics programs in an afterschool program. Running three sessions, with up to 60 students in each grade per session, these students use a visual code called Block coding to program their Lego robots. These skills scale with grade levels. At the middle school’s table, Joshua B. and Necip E. walked me through a demonstration of their Oceania-themed Lego robotics. They had over a dozen robots they had created for various marine and ocean technologies in mind, each serving different purposes. They meet after school and noted that while they learn a lot in the program, they are passionate about the topic and also take the initiative to learn more outside of club time. Noting how much fun the program is, they demonstrated a growth mindset, stating that robotics can be trial and error, but they keep trying and learning from any mistakes. At all of the robotics tables, the advisors were present, but the students really took ownership of their learning and creations, leading the demonstrations and answering questions. Additionally, Delran Intermediate School’s NJIT eSTEM Challenge team presented their project on Micro:bit processors.

Community Activities/Demonstrations

Universal Technical Institute, located in Exton, PA, was present to answer questions about their career pathways. They offer programs in automotive, diesel, industrial, and welding technologies. A popular presentation at their table included a welding simulation. 

Lockheed Martin, part of the Delran STEM Ecosystem Alliance (managed by the NJ STEM Pathways Network) continued to offer community programming for our students. They offered many hands-on STEM activities, such as penny boats and DIY lip gloss, that were very popular with attendees. Additionally, in the Library Media Center, engineers from Lockheed Martin were demonstrating a Tesla Coil and a Van de Graaff generator to demonstrate static electricity. The Tesla Coil demonstration included an explanation about how it produced simulated lightning and heated the air to create musical notes. Lockheed Martin has provided Delran students with many opportunities, including Women in Engineering Day, a Leadership Forum for students interested in engineering careers, and activities in our FabLab.

Participants experienced an immersive astronomy experience in the Cafeteria, where a mobile inflatable Star Lab was available to explore. A new LED bulb in the StarLab projected the constellations this year. While waiting for their turn in the Star Lab, STEMbassadors led participants in activities such as themed coloring activities and creating their own constellations.

STEMbassador-led Programming

In classrooms, volunteer STEMbassadors hosted their own STEM programs related to this year’s forensics theme. In one classroom, students engaged in a mini escape room challenge, which involved calculations, fingerprint analysis, handwriting analysis, and ultimately cracking the code on their lock boxes. In another classroom, students engaged with the Sherlock Bones activities on anatomy and the human body. This was also explored at a Family STEM Night earlier this year.

Thank you to all of our partners, community organizations, teachers, students, and families for participating in the annual STEM fair and making science, technology, engineering, and math a staple and priority in our community!

What’s next for DelranSTEM?

For high school students interested in volunteering this summer, volunteer applications are due by May 24, 2025. For students in grades 2 through 8, STEAM Up! Camp and STEAM Academy registration is due by May 26, 2025. More information can be found on our website.