Photo Provided Bellaire fifth grade students show off their circuit critters, something they got to make using science, technology, engineering and math skills, thanks to a MAC grant from McDonald’s.

BELLAIRE — Bellaire fifth graders did a STEM project creating circuit critters, thanks to a grant from McDonald’s.

Bellaire Middle School received a $500 MAC grant from McDonald’s in the fall that allows the school to purchase supplies for projects that will aid students in learning. Fifth grade language arts teacher Tracie Hughes said she applies for the grant every year but decided this year, along with science teacher Robin Nolan, that they wanted to bring a science, engineering, technology and math project to the students that went above and beyond the usual curriculum.

The winter project allowed students to understand how electrical circuits work as they made “circuit critters” that lit up.

The teachers expanded the project to cross the curriculum, meaning the students had to do math for the project and also wrote an essay about it.

Hughes said the students loved the project, and they got to keep their circuit critters on their desks as long as their lights continued to light up. They also could carry them around the school to share with other students.

“It gives them more hands-on learning, but to see their project come to life right in front of them, they just lit up,” she said.

Hughes said the STEM project allowed students to experience different experiences that weren’t previously offered. She said it opened horizons for female students because STEM is usually considered to be male dominated.

Hughes said the teachers see about 100 students a day in fifth grade and providing materials for students to do activities outside of their curriculum is often difficult. So when local businesses and organizations offer a chance to do projects and provide funds for schools, it’s exceptionally helpful.

“Otherwise we would not be able to provide such activities,” she said, “because this year’s numbers, that $500 grant, we used it almost to the penny so we could make sure that we had the materials so all these kids could participate.”

The MAC grant is open to schools in the Ohio Valley, and Hughes said she likes to go out of her way to search for these types of funds to benefit experiences for students.

In years past, the school has received the MAC grant but did a different type of project, such as such as making porcelain plates that students got to draw on in Christmas themes and then bake them to create mementos for their families. The second part of that project was to make Christmas cookies by measuring ingredients and deciding what cookies they were going to bake. The school wants to reach the students in multiple areas, Hughes noted.

This year, the teachers wanted to do a STEM project because the field is growing, and they wanted to push it further within the district because Bellaire schools are offering broader areas for students to explore, such as a STEM lab with Vex robotics and virtual reality headsets.

Hughes added that the program is worthwhile and thanked McDonald’s for giving the school the opportunity to let the students explore new areas.

“We wanted to tie into that new experience to get kids excited about the new program that we implemented this year,” she said.