Central Park Elementary staff presented the school’s SPARKlab — a K–6 rotating STEM and makerspace program — to the Roseville Area School Board on Oct. 28, describing curriculum structure, projects and community partnerships.

Principal Becky Sutton said every student at Central Park attends SPARKlab and that the program both attracts families to the school and provides consistent exposure to engineering and computer science across grade levels. "Some of the things that really spark interest for us...is that it is a main thing that can attract new families and brings families from across the entire district as well as a benefit that...is for every student who goes to Central Park," Sutton said.

Teacher and AVID coordinator Sarah Linney outlined the SPARKlab’s four core focus areas: engineering, robotics, computer science and 3‑D design. She described a progression in robotics and programming from kindergarten (button‑based robots) through upper grades where students program drones and use Tinkercad. For computer science, staff primarily use the code.org curriculum along with hands‑on Osmo tools for younger students. Linney described 3‑D design activities that evolve from 3‑D pens in primary grades to 3‑D scanners and printers in later grades.

The presentation included a recent engineering project in which older students designed shoes and younger students designed hand warmers. Linney described the engineering design process used: question/explore/design/create/test and iterate, with documentation stored on Seesaw for family viewing and student reflection. "They keep cycling around until the big final test," Linney said. Students described roles and group jobs, how teams used layering and duct tape in prototypes, and how testing outdoors informed design improvements.

Board members asked about partnerships with the high school for drone activities and whether elements of SPARKlab could be scaled districtwide. Sutton said the district’s science curriculum was adjusted after SPARKlab began to include more engineering and computer science, and Linney said drones were recently acquired through a parent donation. Directors also raised how coding and artificial intelligence could be incorporated; Linney and Sutton said curriculum will need to evolve as the technology changes but that foundational computer science understanding remains important.

Sutton and Linney invited board members and families to visit the SPARKlab during tours and community events such as an engineering night. The board praised the program as a model for hands‑on STEM education at the elementary level.