As a high school for young men in grades 8th-12th, it’s not too often you see 50 first through eighth grade students running around Grand River Academy’s campus – let alone participating in academic lessons in on a Saturday morning! However, three times a year, these children from around the community join GRA faculty and student volunteers for interactive STEAM Days, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.

Grand River Academy recently hosted its sixth STEAM Day on Saturday, October 29th with the Halloween themed “Towers of Terror,” where children explored engineering, construction and the relationship between stability and height while creating their own towers. Headmaster Tim Viands shares “These events bring a unique opportunity for local children to learn about science in an engaging and interactive way on GRA’s campus with our teachers and student volunteers. We’ll be celebrating our third anniversary of hosting these events in March and I’m excited to see how they will continue to evolve and grow.”

Occasions like STEAM Days doesn’t just provide a much-needed scientific related activity in our corner of northeast Ohio, it also gives the students of Grand River Academy the out-of-class experience that our boarding school provides, the stronger sense of community which living with their teachers and fellow students makes possible, and a fun time to reinforce the important principle of serving others through volunteerism and making a difference in the lives of those around them.