Lilly Rodriguez, a 5th grader at Gonzales Community School, shows a judge the wind turbines she made as part of her STEM project.

Celebrating Innovation at District-Wide STEM Fair

Tara Melton

February 21, 2025

Lilly Rodriguez

Lilly Rodriguez, a 5th grader at Gonzales Community School, shows a judge the wind turbines she made as part of her STEM project. Lilly Rodríguez, estudiante de quinto grado de la Escuela Comunitaria Gonzales, muestra a un juez las turbinas eólicas que construyó como parte de su proyecto STEM.

The Santa Fe Public Schools (SFPS) hosted the 8th annual District STEM Fair on February 20th at the Santa Fe Community College, bringing together young innovators from across the district. 

Students from 11 SFPS schools—Cesar Chavez Elementary, Ramirez Thomas Elementary, Nina Otero Community School, Kearny Elementary, El Dorado Community School, Carlos Gilbert Elementary, Gonzales Community School, Wood Gormley Elementary, Acequia Madre Elementary, Piñon Elementary, Aspen Community School, Mandela International Magnet School, and El Camino Real Academy—presented projects that showcased their creativity, problem-solving abilities, and passion for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Jim Amann, a judge, chats with students about their doorbell project. Jim Amann, a judge, chats with students about their doorbell project. Jim Amann, un juez, conversa con estudiantes sobre su proyecto de timbre.

Katherine Brechner, a judge, speaks with Abby Lovato, 4th grader at Aspen Community School, about her project on artificial intelligence. Katherine Brechner, a judge, speaks with Abby Lovato, 4th grader at Aspen Community School, about her project on artificial intelligence. Katherine Brechner, jueza, habla con Abby Lovato, estudiante de cuarto grado en Aspen Community School, sobre su proyecto sobre inteligencia artificial.

The fair featured a diverse array of student-led experiments, including building bottle rockets, comparing energy outputs from potatoes versus limes, powering doorbells, and identifying artificial intelligence. These hands-on projects encouraged students to apply the scientific method and think critically about real-world problems. The event emphasized the importance of STEM education in fostering curiosity, innovation, and teamwork. 

“All of the kids are excited to be a part of this event, year after year,” said Arturo Lujan, the SFPS STEM Coordinator. “It’s a great way to spark that interest in STEM fields. Not only that, they just have a great time telling the judges how they came up with their project, what was behind it and it’s an overall great experience that leverages that math and science within our district.”

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Celebrando la innovación en la feria STEM de todo el distrito

Raul Chavez and Jared Aldana, 7th graders at Nina Otero Community School, share a smile while presenting their STEM Fair project to judge Stephen Rudnick. Raul Chavez and Jared Aldana, 7th graders at Nina Otero Community School, share a smile while presenting their STEM Fair project to judge Stephen Rudnick. Raúl Chávez y Jared Aldana, estudiantes de séptimo grado de la Escuela Comunitaria Nina Otero, comparten una sonrisa mientras presentan su proyecto de Feria STEM al juez Stephen Rudnick.

Las Escuelas Públicas de Santa Fe (SFPS) organizaron la octava feria anual STEM del distrito el 20 de febrero en el Santa Fe Community College, que reunió a jóvenes innovadores de todo el distrito. 

Estudiantes de 11 escuelas de SFPS: Primaria César Chávez, Primaria Ramírez Thomas, Escuela Comunitaria Nina Otero, Escuela Comunitaria El Dorado, Escuela Primaria Carlos Gilbert, Escuela Comunitaria Gonzales, Primaria Wood Gormley, Primaria Acequia Madre, Primaria Piñon, Escuela Comunitaria Aspen y Academia El Camino Real, presentaron proyectos que mostraron su creatividad, habilidades para resolver problemas y pasión por la ciencia, la tecnología, la ingeniería y las matemáticas (STEM).

Abigail Bojorquez, a 4th grader at Aspen Community School, presents her project called "Gummy Bears Dive In" to a judge.Abigail Bojorquez, a 4th grader at Aspen Community School, presents her project called "Gummy Bears Dive In" to a judge. Abigail Bojorquez, estudiante de cuarto grado en Aspen Community School, presenta su proyecto llamado "Gummy Bears Dive In" a un juez.

Brooklyn Romero, 5th grader at Gonzales Community School, gets feedback from a judge on her project based around the five-second rule. Brooklyn Romero, 5th grader at Gonzales Community School, gets feedback from a judge on her project based around the five-second rule. Brooklyn Romero, estudiante de quinto grado en la Escuela Comunitaria Gonzales, recibe comentarios de un juez sobre su proyecto basado en la regla de los cinco segundos.

La feria contó con una amplia gama de experimentos dirigidos por estudiantes, incluida la construcción de cohetes de botella, la comparación de la producción de energía de las patatas con la de las limas, la activación de timbres y la identificación de inteligencia artificial. Estos proyectos prácticos alentaron a los estudiantes a aplicar el método científico y pensar críticamente sobre los problemas del mundo real. El evento enfatizó la importancia de la educación STEM para fomentar la curiosidad, la innovación y el trabajo en equipo. 

“Todos los niños están emocionados de ser parte de este evento, año tras año”, dijo Arturo Luján, Coordinador STEM de SFPS. “Es una excelente manera de despertar ese interés en los campos STEM. No solo eso, simplemente se lo pasan genial contándoles a los jueces cómo se les ocurrió su proyecto, qué había detrás de él y, en general, es una gran experiencia que aprovecha las matemáticas y las ciencias dentro de nuestro distrito”.