Lincoln Elementary School
Lincoln Elementary School is part of the Hanover Community School Corporation, located in Cedar Lake, Indiana. The school serves around 322 students in Kindergarten through 2nd grade, creating a supportive and engaging environment for young learners. Lincoln Elementary is committed to fostering foundational academic skills, social-emotional growth, and a love of learning that prepares students for continued success.
What STEM means at Lincoln Elementary School
At Lincoln Elementary School, we envision a future where every learner is inspired to think critically, act creatively, and collaborate with purpose. Our mission is to empower students to reach their full potential through integrated STEM education that nurtures curiosity, problem-solving, and innovation while connecting learning to the real world.
We are committed to building a strong reputation as a community leader in STEM education—where exploration and engagement meet excellence. Through project-based learning, STEM Days, and after-school enrichment led by passionate volunteers, Lincoln students experience hands-on challenges that bring academic concepts to life. Supported by dedicated teachers and community partners, every student is encouraged to explore, design, and discover solutions that make learning meaningful and exciting.
At Lincoln Elementary, we believe every child has the potential to become a creative thinker, a compassionate teammate, and a confident problem solver. Together, we are shaping a culture where curiosity leads to discovery and learning opens the door to endless possibilities.
What makes our STEM program stand out
STEM Implementation K-12-to-Career
STEM is a pillar to the WD approach to education and preparing students as functioning members of the community by being exposed to the increasingly technology driven world. Between the three STEM labs, every student is exposed to the career opportunities available with STEM.
STEM Promotion
STEM Day and other events throughout the year expose students on what is to come as
their educational journey in the building continues. Elementary students are exposed to
opportunities at the high school, and high school students are exposed to industry
employers looking for talent or mentorship opportunities.
Diversified Options for all Secondary Ed Students, College and Workforce Bound
WD hosts several different NLPS pathways that allow students to explore their interests in
engineering, digital media, cybersecurity, information technology, business operations, and more. There is not another school of this size offering such a vast array of career exploration
opportunities.
STEM SPOTLIGHT
Lincoln Elementary recently hosted an incredible after-school STEM Showcase that brought the whole school community together! Students from every grade proudly displayed their STEM projects along the hallway, highlighting the exciting concepts they’ve been exploring in their units. Our kindergarteners amazed everyone by creating animals out of recycled materials. They researched each animal’s appearance and habitat, crafted picture books, and even made Flipgrid videos explaining their animals. Parents enjoyed watching these videos by scanning QR codes, making the experience interactive and fun. First graders took on the role of creative architects, designing houses strong enough to protect the little pigs from the big bad wolf’s huffing and puffing. Meanwhile, our second graders studied erosion by building shorelines with natural materials to protect their houses from water and wind damage. It was wonderful to see parents and teachers engaging with the students, sharing in their excitement, and learning about their impressive projects!
STEM Day
Lincoln Elementary School recently celebrated an exciting STEM Day filled with hands-on learning and teamwork across every classroom! Students rotated through themed STEM activities that brought their units to life in creative and engaging ways. Our second graders explored the world of birds by building birdhouses, crafting nests that could hold an egg without breaking, and designing camouflaged birds to blend into their habitats. First graders dove into the world of fish with a fun fishing activity in a baby pool, sorting their catches into groups that either help or harm the environment, and creating camouflaged fish to hide in their aquatic homes. Kindergarten students jumped into frog-themed activities, building frog catapults, assembling frog puzzles, and constructing frog rafts. All classes enjoyed a nature trail walk led by Mari from our community partner, LCSWMD, who shared fascinating insights about the environment. Teachers brought extra excitement by competing against our superintendents in Minute to Win It STEM challenges, earning points for their classrooms. The grand finale challenged students to construct their animal—bird, fish, or frog—using only one type of material, like paper plates or popsicle sticks. High school volunteers supported every classroom throughout the day, helping make the event smooth and memorable. STEM Day was a fantastic celebration of curiosity, creativity, and collaboration for students, teachers, staff, and families alike!
Authentic Real World Experiences: Float Your Boat Challenge
At Lincoln Elementary School, our entire second grade dove into an exciting STEM project all about boats and buoyancy! Students learned about different types of boats and how they are used to carry goods across water. Each second-grade class formed teams to design and build boats that could hold the most marbles, competing against their classmates to create the strongest, most buoyant vessels. The fun didn’t stop there—teachers joined in the challenge, and even our principal, Mr. Zaremba, built a boat to test his skills. After a thrilling competition, Mrs. Monix emerged as the teacher with the best boat design. To celebrate, we held a grand finale where Mr. Zaremba and Mrs. Monix faced off in an epic boat-building showdown right in front of the entire second grade. Each crafted a brand-new boat, and they tested them to see whose could hold the most marbles. The excitement peaked as both boats held so many marbles that we simply ran out to keep counting! In the end, both were declared winners, making them joint champions and the best “naval architects” of the day. This engaging and hands-on activity was the perfect, fun-filled way to wrap up our STEM unit, Float Your Boat, inspiring curiosity and creativity throughout the grade.
Our Current STEM Focus
Building Community Partnerships for STEM at Lincoln Elementary
At Lincoln Elementary, our focus this year is to strengthen community partnerships that expand and enrich STEM learning for every student. We’re seeking partners who can sponsor programs, donate resources, or volunteer their time and expertise to support hands-on, meaningful STEM experiences. To guide these efforts, we’ve formed a STEM Advisory Board made up of school staff, parents, and community members who help set priorities and connect the school to local resources.
A major initiative this year is a volunteer-run After-School STEM Program. The model is simple and sustainable: each teacher volunteers one hour, one time during the school year to share a hobby, talent, or STEM activity with students. Community members and parents are invited to join as regular volunteers, bringing workshops, demonstrations, or mentoring sessions that are free for families.
This volunteer-centered program creates low-cost, high-impact opportunities for students to explore new interests, see role models from their community, and build real-world skills. For partners, it’s a chance to give back in a manageable, rewarding way—sharing passions, expertise, and time to inspire the next generation of problem solvers. Together with our STEM Advisory Board and committed volunteers, Lincoln Elementary is building a network of support that will make STEM learning richer, more accessible, and more connected to our community.
