ST. VIRGIL ACADEMY ACHIEVES FIRST PLACE IN STEM COMPETITION

           St. Virgil Academy (SVA) in Morris Township recently placed first in a design and engineering competition showcase between other local area Catholic schools.  The event, which was held in Clifton on May 14, challenged students to use a STEM—science, technology, engineering and mathematics—approach to solve a real life problem. 

            Not only did the SVA students take on a problem of epic proportions, namely providing clean water to developing nations, they did so by expanding their approach beyond STEM.  “Our school was one of the first in the area to adopt STEM into our curriculum,” states Debbie Duane, St. Virgil Academy principal.  “We are thrilled with where the program has taken our students.  They have journeyed down a road of discovery that we would never have imagined possible a few years ago.”

            Allowing the students to take charge and learn through their own experimentation and research is at the heart of a STEM approach.  However, the students at St. Virgil’s soon learned that their problems could not be solved with STEM techniques alone.  “When the children started investigating the magnitude and complexity of the issues impacting the world around them, their Catholic faith served as a perfect backdrop,” explains St. Virgil pastor Lancelot Reis.  “Our students truly care about making a difference in people’s lives and their creativity in solving these problems has been remarkable.”

            STREAM was then born at St. Virgil Academy.  STEM was taken two steps further by adding an R for religion and an A for art.  “Faith and creativity is what helped propel our students to first place in this competition and it is what will help guide them for the rest of their lives, no matter what path they choose,” declares a proud Reis.

            For the award winning project, the 6th through 8th grade students at the Academy researched the water crisis in developing countries, investigated options for water collection and preservation and experimented on various methods of water purification.  The end result of their work was a home water filtration system, suitable for adults and infants alike, that uses supplies readily available in the area of Mumbai, India where the children decided to focus their efforts.

            “I am very proud that our students’ hard work paid off in the form of this first place finish,” Duane explains. “However, I am even more pleased that our little school has shown how we can make big things happen in the world.  In fact, just recently, a firm in India has accepted our prototype for further development.”

           St. Virgil Academy will continue to expand upon its STREAM journey during the next academic year and beyond.   Even preschoolers at SVA are learning through hands-on discovery by designing and constructing all sorts of things from natural habitats to cars they can actually ride as they study the forces of motion.

           St. Virgil Academy is a co-educational preschool through grade eight school on the campus of St. Virgil Parish on Speedwell Avenue in Morris Plains.  The school in considered a leader in integrating STEM between disciplines and across grade levels.  For more information on their unique STREAM program, and the school’s other offerings, call the office on 973-539-7267 or visit their website at www.stvirgilacademy.org.