photo by: Emma Delk

Madison Elementary School third graders Laerea’A Smith, left, and Ariana Kuri work together to create a ramp out of cardboard and tin foil.

Madison Elementary School students dawned mini hard hats as they worked to build ramps out of cardboard as part of Libera’s STEAM Exploration Program.

The interactive engineering lesson students participated in to build the ramps is part of the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math program created by Libera, Inc. Expand Energy donated $15,000 to the nonprofit to bring Libera’s STEAM Exploration program to three Ohio County Schools, beginning with Madison Elementary.

Madison students got to miss math class on Tuesday to participate in the program. The session began with a lesson about Cass Scenic Railroad in Pocahontas County, which uses a working steam locomotive.

The children then embarked on the engineering project to replicate the ramps and tracks used by the Cass steam engines using cardboard, tape and tin foil as their tools. At the end of the session, the students attempted to send toy trucks down their ramps to test how their structure held up.

“The idea is to do a hands-on activity with them to get them thinking creatively,” Stephanie Paluda, Expand Energy Community Relations Manager, said. “They got to test out their ramps with different-sized trucks they could play around with while building their structures.”

The engineering activity went beyond the classroom. Each child was sent home with a Lila Bear STEAM activity box to continue learning at home with their families. The boxes included a Lego kit that students could use to build a train and another wooden train-building activity to try out with their families.

“The students got to have a little fun and skip math class today, but they also get to take these boxes home to their families,” Paluda said. “They have some Legos to play with and some cool educational toys to take home, too.”

The boxes also included coupons for the students and their families to visit Cass Scenic Railroad free of charge.

Paluda said the program can spark students’ interest in STEAM fields and help them explore the different engineering careers available to them.

“This helps them explore different careers and also explore the beautiful state of West Virginia through the Cass Railroad coupons,” Paluda added.

Madison is one of three Ohio County Schools participating in the program. Warwood and Woodsdale elementary schools will participate next week. By the end of next week, 450 students will have participated in the program.

“We’re so excited to give back to the communities that we operate in, and we always want to expand kids’ horizons,” Paluda said. “We want to keep them interested in STEAM activities, and hopefully one day, they could come work for Expand Energy.”