Kawartha Lakes, ON – STEAM School’s new lead is bringing his curiosity to Ampere’s Kawartha Lakes Makerspace & Skills Hub as he helps learners discover themselves and the power of science, technology, engineering, art and math.
Colton Eddy describes himself as an optimistic and energetic, curious and collaborative person that strives to be useful to others by encouraging the best version of themselves. Today, he is Ampere’s STEAM School Lead, excited to welcome new cohorts of learners as Ampere expands the number of classes, doubles the number of school days every week, and refines classes for the 2026 scholastic year! As a child, he dreamed of being Maria Von Trapp.
“Perhaps, in a subconscious way, the seeds of education were sown when I embodied the Sound Of Music baroness and her immersive lessons,” Eddy says, noting his family members would often address him as Maria while the soundtrack to the Sound of Music was sung. “Music as a language and interactive experiential play were the tenets of her teaching methods and I suppose, in a way, foundational in how I prefer to learn and how I prefer to teach.”
This September, STEAM School will run four days per week: Mondays will host learners ages 6 to 8, Tuesdays and Wednesdays will host the age 9 to 11 groups and Thursdays will welcome learners aged 12 and 13. The expansion is a testament to the success and lessons learned through the previous two years of STEAM School, a program Eddy is delighted to be joining.
“Teaching as a concept appears to be fully realized in Ampere’s STEAM School model. Opportunities to play and create while we learn from another within a room overflowing with resources to make the “blue duck” possible,” says Eddy, referencing Adam Sandler’s 1995 hit Billy Madison where the titular character chose to draw a blue duck simply because he had not seen one and wanted to change that. “In a world of yellow ducks, I feel that STEAM School provides the crayon to imagine something we have not seen before and bring that into reality, to share with others and, in turn, feel an inspired sense of fulfillment.”
Speaking of fulfillment, Eddy says his favourite parts of working with young learners are the surprises, the unexpected discoveries and the growth found within a space that encourages creation.
“In the classes that I have shared with young learners, I find that my role is to uplift their ideas and provide an environment for their creations and perspectives to be supported and developed. That is for me the most rewarding part of the educator role,” says Eddy.
To do so in Kawartha Lakes, a region he describes as a “constant” throughout his life, only adds to the alignment Eddy feels with the role.
Before he lived in the Kawartha Lakes area, Eddy’s family would travel to the region to visit loved ones, attend Odyssey Project shows at the Academy Theatre, rent films from Grumpy’s Video on Lindsay Street, feeling nearly comatose after peameal burgers from The Munchy Hut and spend days swimming in Pigeon Lake.
“In my teenage years, my family moved to the Hamlet of Lotus (between Pontypool and Janetville) and I was fortunate to attend I.E. Weldon Secondary School with its incredibly balanced academic, artistic and athletic communities,” Eddy says warmly.
“While living in Toronto, very little time would pass without visits to the Lindsay Twin Drive-In or Murphy’s Patio at the Fenelon liftlocks.”
To this day, being outside is one of Eddy’s favourite pastimes when he’s not teaching. He loves being with his wife, friends and family, sharing experiences, meals and time.
Starting this September, however, much of Eddy’s time will be spent in the Makerspace, as new and returning learners from age 6 through 13 gather to dive deep into STEAM, embrace their own curiosities and explore their budding passions.
“If I were to choose one hope for this school year, it would be to provide the learners with what they need to realize their gifts,” says STEAM School’s new teacher. “Along the way, learn that presence is more rewarding than productivity and the joy uncovered in the process is the sweetest return.”
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Register your learner for STEAM School at steamschools.ca.
About Ampere
For over a decade, Ampere (formerly the Pinnguaq Association) has partnered with rural, remote and Indigenous communities to provide access to science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) education and opportunities. Founded in Pangnirtung, Nunavut, Ampere applies a Lifecycle approach to ensure that its supporting learners at every age, and every stage of life. Ampere offers programming directly through Makerspaces in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Bathurst, New Brunswick, and in the Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, and works directly with community partners, social organizations, governmental funders and educational institutions from coast to coast to coast.
