Our Lady Queen of Heaven School’s fifth-grade math and science classes have created their annual Halloween STEM monster.

This STEM activity is part of the Global Monster Project, created by Terry Smith. Smith is a cohort leader within the National Geographic Educator Certification Program, as well as an educator.

Smith said the project is a collaboration of primary classes worldwide. To participate in the project, schools choose one body part to describe in 12 to 20 words. After the descriptions are submitted to the Global Monster Project, each school creates a monster based on everyone’s descriptions. OLQHS chose “belly button” as their body part.

Sixty-eight students collaborated to create the monster, which they aptly named “Bill Nye the Science Guy.” Each student played their own part and chose the materials used to create the monster. Students were encouraged to use recyclable materials.

Brenna LeBert, OLQHS fifth-grade math and science teacher, said the project gives upper elementary students the opportunity to flex their creative abilities and gain STEM skills.

“This project allows the students the creativity to design and build their own monster parts. They have to use specific measurements and specific instructions,” she said. “I give guidance but they take their own direction when it comes to construction.”

She said the primary construction of the monster was the greatest challenge. “

The major STEM part comes when we work together to put all of the pieces into a standing monster,” she said. “They come up with how to attach the different parts. This group of students really came together to make our monster stand on its own. They also created a way for the head to be able to be attached without falling over constantly.”

The creation of the monster doesn’t stop at its construction; students also choose a humanitarian cause to associate with the monster.

“When each school decides to participate in the Monster Project, they have to select from a list of sustainable development goals that their monster would help the community in,” she said. “Our class selected the health and well-being of our community. We chose this because our fifth grade class has a garden we plant each year. “

The classes went so far to create a sustainability job for their creation.

“The students decided our monster, were it real, would help us plant and distribute our vegetables to the surrounding community to promote health and well-being.”

This project has been a successful exploration into creation, engineering and teamwork for the fifth-graders, LeBert said.

“We plan to participate in this for years to come,” she said. “This is a fun way to get the kids excited about creating and building parts.”