In an era where innovation drives the world, two educators at Mount Olive Middle School are ensuring students have the skills and curiosity to meet the future head-on. Julie Heyen and Amy Moulton, both middle school teachers, are the dynamic duo behind the school’s STEAM Club—an extracurricular program that blends Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math into hands-on, engaging experiences.

Their goal? To ignite curiosity, encourage problem-solving, and help students see that learning doesn’t stop at textbooks—it’s in the world all around them.

Mrs. Heyen and Ms. Moulton saw the need for more hands-on learning opportunities that went beyond the classroom. They wanted students to experience the interconnectedness of subjects and develop critical thinking skills in ways traditional learning couldn’t always provide.

“Students learn best when they’re actively engaged,” Mrs. Heyen explains. “STEAM is about giving them challenges that make them think creatively and critically. It’s about learning through doing.”

Ms. Moulton adds, “We want them to see that science isn’t just something that happens in a lab, math isn’t just numbers on a page, and art isn’t just paint on a canvas. These fields overlap in fascinating ways, and we bring that to life through our projects.”

The STEAM Club isn’t about sitting through lectures—it’s about making, building, and experimenting. The projects push students to work together, test ideas, and embrace the occasional failure as part of the learning process.

One of their most exciting projects involved designing and testing wood craft stick bridges, challenging students to build structures capable of supporting weight. “They had to think like engineers, adjusting their models and improving stability,” Ms. Moulton says. “It was incredible to see them problem-solve and innovate.”

Another hands-on success has been robotics and coding projects, allowing students to explore programming in an interactive and engaging way. “We have students who love coding and want to just sit together and work on that, and we have others who may not see that as their future but still gain valuable experience from it,” Mrs. Heyen shares.

The arts component of STEAM is just as important. Though neither Mrs. Heyen nor Ms. Moulton has a traditional art background, they’ve found creative ways to integrate it into the program. Students have worked on sewing projects, explored kitchen chemistry lessons, and even designed seasonal house displays, like spooky houses for Halloween and gingerbread houses for winter. These projects are showcased at school events, giving students a sense of pride in their work.

Learning Beyond the Classroom
Mrs. Heyen and Ms. Moulton also believe that learning shouldn’t be confined to the four walls of a school. That’s why STEAM Club includes annual field trips to expose students to real-world applications of what they study. Past trips have included visits to:

• Apple’s Genius Bar, where students got a behind-the-scenes look at technology and problem-solving in action.

• Boeing, where they explored aerospace engineering and advanced manufacturing.

• The local zoo, with exclusive behind-the-scenes animal encounters focused on biology and conservation.

• Mennel Milling, a local company that gave students a firsthand look at food production science and industrial operations.

These experiences help students connect their classroom learning to actual careers and industries. “We want them to see what’s out there,” Ms. Moulton says. “It’s about broadening their perspectives and opening their eyes to different paths they might not have considered.”

A Culture of Curiosity and Exploration
Mrs. Heyen and Ms. Moulton emphasize that STEAM isn’t just for future engineers or scientists—it’s for every student. The club fosters teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving, skills that apply to any career path.

Moving forward, they hope to expand the program, bring in guest speakers from STEAM-related fields, and continue offering students opportunities to explore science, technology, engineering, art, and math in meaningful ways. “We want our students to see the bigger picture,” Mrs. Heyen says. “To see how what they’re learning now connects to the world they’ll be part of in the future.”

As they continue to build and grow the STEAM Club, one thing remains clear—Julie Heyen and Amy Moulton aren’t just teaching middle schoolers. They’re shaping the innovators, creators, and problem-solvers of tomorrow.