Holy Rosary school hosts STREAM Expo

EMILY GOJMERAC

REPORTER

Students of the Holy Rosary Catholic School got to show off their scientific side on Tuesday night when they hosted their Science Technology Religion Engineering Arts Math (STREAM) through Wisconsin Extravaganza. Every class did a certain project to showcase the great state of Wisconsin. Baskets were made by each class to be auctioned off and everyone had something to show their parents or community members what they have been working on. Each station throughout the school that the students visited, got them a stamp from each stop. Once they were finished, they were able to put their name in for a chance to win a $100 discount off of next year’s tuition.

The Pre-K students had displays of the state bird and made cows that were displayed on the classroom door.

The Kindergarten class was all about rainbows. They did experiments such as the melting rainbow (pouring water onto a plate of Skittles and watching the color melt off into a swirl of color). They did a walking rainbow, which consisted of having 5 cups three of them half filled with either red, yellow, or blue food coloring, then the other two cups were half full of clear water. A strand of tissue paper was dipped into the cups in a circle, and colors started blending together to make a rainbow effect. Lastly, the class took celery stalks and put them in a cup of water with a little bit of food coloring in it. Eventually the celery started drinking the water, and because of the coloring in the water, you could see how much the stalk was taking in.

The first graders did colored pictures of tabernacles and crosses that said “I love my Catholic School.” While the second graders made their own homemade slime.

The third grade classroom showcased the 150th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

The fourth and fifth grade classes showcased Wisconsin’s Dairyland by each taking one half section of a poster and enlarging it for a giant accordion-style book. After the pages were colored and put together, the students drew a grid on their poster and a grid over their picture to help them with proportions.

The sixth grade classroom did a comedic skit about the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, and its loss of all its passengers.

The highlight of the night was the homemade ice cream making. Everyone could come and fill a small Ziploc bag half full of half and half, and some sugar. Then they would take a large Ziploc bag and fill it half full with ice and ice cream salt, and shake the bag for five minutes, solidifying the cream. Once that was completed, you could enjoy a delicious bag of homemade ice cream.

In order to showcase Wisconsin’s wildlife, Ron Sromek and his wife Holly brought in their collection of various furs and mounts. Sromek’s grandchildren make his family 5th generation trappers. He informed the students that 1/3 of all Wisconsin furs went to Europe. They either went through Milwaukee, Green Bay, or Sioux St. Marie. Sromek had a display of Wisconsin trapping tags from 1923-1973. Some of the furs he displayed were foxes, river otters, bears, coyotes, badger (which was bought, not hunted, due to it being our state animal), ranch mink, beaver. Half of the furs he displayed were of his own collection, the other half was donated by three sportsman’s clubs. Sromek has trapped through Alaska and said it is so beautiful there.

Sromek said “My dad was an older gentleman during the depression and he made more money trapping these animals, than my grandpa did milking twelve cows all year.”

Along with furs and mounts, Sromek had multiple trapping units that he had displayed to show the various sizes. He also demonstrated how the trapping unit worked.

Sromek said that “Maine is the only state where people are still allowed to trap bear.”

The tallest fur that was displayed was the ranch fox fur which was almost six feet tall.

Sromek feels that real fur is a dying trend and he wants to continue to keep this tradition alive.

Skit about the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald.

Making a “melting rainbow” with Skittles.

4th and 5th grade’s dairy timeline.

Celery stalks drinking the colored water.

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Homemade slime.

Giant accordion posters made by the 4th and 5th grade students.