William Paca Middle School's sixth-grade students recently participated in the "Balloons Over Paca" project, inspired by Melissa Sweet's children's book "Balloons Over Broadway." The project was part of Mrs. Julia Scotti’s STEAM class, where students designed and built parade balloons, similar to those seen in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The initiative aimed to teach students engineering principles through practical application. By working in pairs, students developed skills such as spatial reasoning, problem-solving, fine motor coordination, collaboration, geometry, measurement, and creativity while constructing their balloon sculptures from various materials.
After completing their projects, the middle school students showcased their creations at Tangier Smith Elementary School. They paraded through the halls with music playing as elementary students observed and voted on their favorite designs. Out of 22 balloons displayed, three were selected as winners: "Pikachu" took first place, followed by "Unicorn" in second place and "Mr. Krabs" in third.
Following the event, Mrs. Scotti’s class received written letters from Mrs. Romero and Mrs. Worontsoff’s second-grade students expressing gratitude for sharing their work and organizing an enjoyable parade.