STEM education is alive and well at El Buen Pastor! One recent Thursday afternoon some students got a head start on planning their science fair projects while Ms. Francia’s four-year-olds donned their protective lab gear and delightedly experimented with mixing food coloring. The big excitement, however, centered on the middle school girls’ robotics workshop. With the leadership of first year Wake Forest student Sarah Rudasill, six girls have been putting their heads together to construct a robot using the Lego Inventor’s Guide. When it was completed they advised Sarah on how they wanted her to program it, and then began the process of fine-tuning the mechanics, improvising as they observed the robot’s performance. And where were the guys? Although several boys showed up for the first day of the workshop, they left when they learned that each one wouldn’t have his own robot to work on individually. Jenny says, however, that the best part of the experience has been collaborating on design and construction, and the squeals of laughter and cheers for the robot’s performance coming from behind the classroom door affirmed her testimony. Mayte didn’t even know what a robot was before Sarah broached the topic, and Cinthia said she had learned the importance of persistence through trial and error. Damaris, Michelle, and Myra all agreed that the project had kindled a new interest in science for them. Curiosity, collaboration, and perseverance—traits that will build successful students and good scientists