While the first session of STEAM School 2026/2027 ended on a spooky note, with the final class running Oct. 29 as learners showcased the haunted houses they built – complete with moving parts and blinking lights – the seven-week stretch was full of laughter, lessons and hands-on fun.
“This week we were just reading a quote from Mary Shelley and we were talking about how invention doesn’t come from the void but comes from chaos. And I feel it’s very appropriate to what they have been doing, what we have been doing as a collective here,” says Colton Eddy, STEAM School Lead.
“STEAM School is chaos in a controlled form.”
Colton, who dressed in various costumes for the final week of STEAM School Session 1 in recognition of Halloween at the end of the week, embodies the playful, student-led energy of the program that makes it so appealing to learners, who describe him as “really fun.”
It’s that fun, and the attention paid to what the learners engage with the most, that makes STEAM School so special. Being able to pivot lesson plans to follow the students’ lead has been instrumental in the success of the program, which expanded from two days per week to four this past September, with enrollment continuing to climb. Registration remains open for the next session at steamschools.ca.
“As much as you can plan – ‘this is what we’re going to do, this is what we’re going to work on, this is where we’re going to go with it’ – a lot of the moments where I’ve been like, ‘oh, this is working’ have been when I’ve seen them help each other on something or discover something or explore a different approach to something than was intended. Those moments are too many to count,” says Colton.
Cyndy, a STEAM School learner, started attending the program after seeing her younger brother participate in a different cohort.
“My little brother has done it for ages. So, I wanted to try it out and see if I like it and get to learn more stuff,” she says, noting that she really likes the small class sizes and the lessons themselves. While it was tough to pinpoint her favourite moment, the class trip to Kawartha Lakes City Hall was certainly near the top of the list.
“I really like city hall actually, because it’s cool to learn about the government,” she says. “My grandma used to work for the city council. So it was cool to go there and see her photo and everything.”
Another learner, Avery, is a big proponent of the importance of having fun while she learns, and STEAM School gives her the chance to do just that while also collaborating with peers and exploring her education in a different way.
“When we combine our ideas, it really makes it more fun,” she says, “and the educators are really fun. They make funny jokes.”
For Avery, the haunted house construction at the end of the session was a highlight.
“My favourite part was building the haunted houses because we made ghosts move up and down in the windows with the Make Stuff Move kits. We made little lights and ghost eyes or monsters eyes or masks. And we had other stuff incorporated with our haunted house,” she says.
As the educator looks forward to future sessions, Colton says he’s excited to take what he’s learned and apply it in support of new and returning learners.
“I’m excited to continue with those who are coming back into the program as we get to know each other and what each other learns like and what we enjoy doing. We have a bunch of new attendees registered which is great, so mixing them in will be fun,” says Colton, before disclosing a little more about what Session 2 has in store.
“We have a lot of guests, a handful of trips, and a bunch of other projects that Emma, Steve, and myself have cooked up. We’re going to create some automatas, which are like old style animation boxes incorporating the 3D printer, the laser cutter, and the students’ tactile designs. It’s hard to narrow down again what I’m most excited about because there’s so much that’s happening.”
STEAM School Session 2 started on Monday (Nov. 2) and runs until Dec. 10.
Registration remains open at steamschools.ca.
Follow STEAM School on Instagram and Facebook to see all the exciting, hands-on fun the learners get up to this session.
