• Robert L. Craig STEAM Team

    The Robert L. Craig STEAM Team provides an opportunity for students who are interested in STEAM fields to have hands-on experience in those areas through competitions in engineering, robotics, and innovation. The team is made up of twenty students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Students on the team are required to complete applications explaining areas of interest and reasons that they would be good additions to the team. They must maintain a B average in all subjects; if they fall below that average a meeting with the team mentor and school principal is required in order to stay on the team. The team meets after school on Tuesday and before school on Monday and Thursday. Skills that are reinforced throughout the year through the team are problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, team work, and persistence.

  • The RLC STEAM Team recently tied for 2nd Place in the NJSBA STEAM Tank Challenge in the Middle School division. The STEAM Tank Challenge is a state-wide competition created and sponsored by NJSBA and the U.S. Army. The goal of STEAM Tank is to encourage New Jersey’s public school students in the areas of STEAM – science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math. The competition asks student teams to invent something new, modify an existing product, or identify a situation or real-world problem that needs resolution, and present their idea to a panel of judges.

    This year, the RLC STEAM Team presented their idea, called Mobily, which is an all-electric, eco-friendly RV that was geared towards people who have been directly affected by the effects of climate change. The students did months of research on how RVs work and how they would be able to make changes to current designs to make the vehicle more eco-friendly. They also consulted with several subject matter experts on the viability of their design.
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  • On January 22, 2020, the RLC STEAM won the South Bergen Jointure's annual Vex IQ robotics competition. This was the first time the STEAM Team has won the competition in the 5 years the competition has taken place. Teams from 10 local school districts participated in the event, which took place at Robert L. Craig School in Moonachie. Pictures and videos of the event are below.

    RLC STEAM Team Wins

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  • RLC STEAM Team Places 4th in 2019 NJSBA STEAM Tank Challenge
    After months of hard work, the Robert L. Craig STEAM Team earned 4th place in the middle school division of the New Jersey School Boards Association’s STEAM Tank Challenge. The STEAM Tank Challenge is a state-wide competition created and sponsored by NJSBA and the U.S. Army. The goal of STEAM Tank is to encourage New Jersey’s public school students in the areas of STEAM – science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math. The competition asks student teams to invent something new, modify an existing product, or identify a situation or real-world problem that needs resolution, and present their idea to a panel of judges. 
     
    The RLC STEAM Team’s project, called Thermavolt, disinfects towels and other linens, killing bacteria, viruses, and fungi with UV lights. The students researched the effectiveness of UV lights, before testing their project. They also consulted with subject matter experts from universities and companies to gain specific information about their idea and design, and put out a survey to hotels, gyms, hospitals, and spas to determine the marketability of their project. The team presented their project on October 22nd at the NJSBA Workshop in Atlantic City, and were the only group from Bergen County in their division.
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