Second-grader Milo Guardares stood still as butterflies fluttered around him—until one finally landed on his arm.

“It feels tickly,” he said. “It wants to stay on me.”

Milo and his dad, Eddie, were exploring Jordan Ridge Elementary’s annual STEM Night, which featured a live butterfly house in the school’s multipurpose room. The exhibit was brought by Riverbottom Butterflies and other stations were supported by partners including the South Jordan Fire and Police Departments, Hogle Zoo, Discovery Gateway, Bridget’s Bugs and Reptiles, Peak 5 Dental and Nerdly Tutoring.

Students explored everything from DNA and 3D printing to snakes and tooth decay—exactly the kind of hands-on learning organizers aim for, said Nicole Kerr, PTA STEM night coordinator.

“Our goal is to encourage learning, to encourage STEM and to see science and math can be fun and there’s fun opportunities,” she said. “The kids are super excited about it and every year it’s grown with more activities and more participants.”

Principal Melissa Beck said the tradition began five years ago, launched by teachers earning their STEM teaching endorsements.

“They brought in different STEM career fields’ professionals with activities in their fields as an opportunity for students
to explore and engage in STEM-related career fields,” she said. “That’s important because it’s where a lot of career fields are right now.”

Now led by the PTA, STEM Night also draws families together while supporting the school’s computer science program.

For students, though, the experience is just pure fun.

Sixth-graders Sydney Shewell and Aiden Barrios had already explored the butterfly house, 3D printing, reptiles, and even played a round of Jenga.

Fifth-grader Lily Bright liked learning about the Burmese python, but she thought making Alka Seltzer rockets in film cannisters was fun.

“It exploded in my hand,” she said.

Kindergartner Harper Ence led her dad, Jonathan, and twin preschool siblings around the exhibits.

“I liked creating messages with invisible ink,” she said.

Ence added, “Then we can read them to decode them. It’s a bunch of hands-on fun using math and science and maybe, they’ll discover a passion for a possible career.”λ