Woodbury Elementary Students Win MN Zoo’s STEM Challenge

WOODBURY, MN — A team of students from Valley Crossing Elementary School in Woodbury recently earned a top prize during the Minnesota Zoo’s 2021-22 ZOOMS STEM Design Challenge.

The Zoo’s challenge is a yearlong project that requires elementary, middle and high school students to develop solutions for real zoo-based scenarios, according to a news release.

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The Minnesota Zoo challenged students to develop a new wolf habitat expansion or an enrichment solution for gray wolves at the zoo, the release states.

A team of Valley Crossing students — Tide Omiwade, Aspen Lodermeier and Kate Yang — led by teacher Caroline Polifka earned first place among elementary schools in exhibit design for its plans on how to expand the Wolf Ridge exhibit.

First-place winners were given an annual household membership to the Minnesota Zoo.

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Students were judged on their research skills, creativity and their plans for implementing their solutions, as well as presentation skills, the release states.

John Frawley, director of the Minnesota Zoo, said the challenge “fosters creativity, innovation, and critical thinking, and helps kids envision STEM careers that involve caring for animals and working to support wildlife conservation.”

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“We are incredibly proud of the dedicated students and teachers who participated in this year’s ZOOMS STEM Design Challenge,” Frawley said.

Almost four dozen schools, including one in Hawaii, participated in the Minnesota Zoo’s ZOOMS STEM Design Challenge.

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