Sybil Bell would get a frequent question from her students as a Mill Road fourth-grade teacher in recent years:
“When are we doing STEAM?”
Since 2023, Mill Road’s grades 3-5 students have had access to a STEAM Innovation Center outfitted with a wide array of blocks, art supplies, technology and other creative resources for hands-on learning. Teachers could schedule time in the brightly lit double classroom to punctuate a lesson with a more tactile approach. But, the experience and instruction varied from class to class.
“It was up to the comfort-level of teachers, who determined how they wanted to use it,” Bell recalled.
This year, Mill Road has formalized their use of the unique resource by making Bell the school’s first dedicated STEAM instructor.
Principal Dr. Brian Boyd said the school is “fortunate” to have Bell in place, as the position takes the lab “to the next level.” Bell has been at Mill Road for 27 years, teaching on both the primary and intermediate sides.
“Now we have something that’s consistent, week-by-week,” he said. “In terms of, expanded opportunities, new opportunities for our kids, and the rigor and relevance around the worked that they’re doing now – it’s incredible.”
Bell has created a standardized lesson-plan and approach for the students, which she said will not only support the existing curriculum in each grade but gives the students “some new ideas and concepts that they may not get into in the classroom.” The sessions are a regularly scheduled special class, like art or music, and each class’ teacher assists Bell in the execution. Students can also sign up for the STEAM “lunch club,” a program the school is initiating for each of its special areas this year, in which they can take part in specialized instruction.
Bell said STEAM is important as “It gives them an opportunity to not only problem-solve, but work together and collaborate. They need that for the changing world.” She noted, teachers have witnessed students flourish in a setting and learning style that differs from the traditional classroom. While students can work independently, most projects involve students working in pairs or small groups.“
The level of engagement seems at such a higher point. And, the excitement,” Boyd said, “you can see, it’s visible in smiles, their excitement and how they collaborate with other kids. It’s a special place. There’s a lot of room to work.”
The space itself hasn’t changed greatly from when it was launched – one half of the double-room includes a comfortable semi-circle of couch space and chairs facing a large monitor for teachers to introduce and discuss lessons, and the other half has more tables and chairs for exploration. The perimeter is filled with boxes and crates of building materials and technology, including 3D printers. There’s even a special tool for cutting cardboard safely and easily into patterns, which Bell hopes to purchase more of in the future. Both sides have walls covered in whiteboards and large vertical Lego wall is in the center of the space.“
We do have access to MacBooks and iPads,” Bell said, “but we really want to have them to have that hands-on experience.”
Mill Road held an inaugural STEAM Camp for a week over the summer, run by Bell, Boyd and Assistant Principal Kristen Strothmann, in which students explored a different problem and scientific principal each day.
The first few weeks of classes this fall have included an introductory lesson on what STEAM is, which included examples of how students may already be using those skills doing things such as baking or playing video games, and examples of how those skills would translate to difference careers. Students also learned about their unique fingerprints, magnetic forces using toy cars, and potential and kinetic energy by building wrecking balls.
In each lesson, Bell emphasizes “science vocabulary,” words such as “retract” and “repel” in the magnetism activity. “When you build the vocabulary in a fun way, they’ll remember it.”
She said it’s important the kids understand “that you’re going to have failures. There’s going to be things that do work. So, you need to have that resilience and perseverance – what did you learn from that experience?”
Mostly, though, STEAM “is fun,” Bell said. “We want them to have fun. We want them engaged and growing and learning.”

Learn more about the STEAM Innovation Center at https://mres.redhookcentralschools.org/Steam