By Ben Courson and Cutter’b Pritchard, broadcast team and staff writer

The STEM supplies have finally come in after the state budget passed and teachers are ecstatic. Among the collections are countless Legos for Mrs. Brenda Dillaman’s room, motorized Legos for Mrs. Lori Walls room, solar powered cars for Mr. Andrew Schmucker’s room, and MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) controllers and keyboards for Mr. Patrick Baldwin’s room. Mr. Baldwin said, “I designed the class (Technical Music Composition) this year around not having them because of the budget crisis, so I am going to have to rework things so that we can incorporate them. We have gotten by since we just got them and have not had the opportunity to use them.”

The supplies may not have been used all year because of their late arrival, but their appearance has kickstarted the current utilization of the products. Mr. Schmucker said, “The hydrogen fuel cell would have
worked in well with the unit on alternative energy, but since the money was held up by the state budget, it arrived too late.”

In Mr. Schmucker’s STEM class the students have used solar cells (a device that converts solar radiation into electricity) and motors for solar-powered cars. There is also a roller coaster track that will go with a ninth grade project which focuses on energy and motion. Mr. Schmucker said, “The point of STEM is to design and build things. Without supplies that is difficult. They are necessary.”

Now that these classes have the supplies, they need the students. As Mr. Baldwin said, “I plan on using technology pretty extensively for the music theory class I am teaching next year, only If I am lucky enough to have the students to take the class.”