STEM lab named for millennial saint

By RENEE WEBB
Content and Design Coordinator

The day after the patron saint of the internet – St. Carlo Acutis – was canonized by Pope Leo XIV, Sacred Heart School in Sioux City blessed its new STEM lab that was named in honor of the first millennial saint.

Deacon Kevin Poss, who is part of the Bishop Heelan Catholic Schools campus ministry team, led the prayers of dedication for the St. Carlo Acutis STEM Lab on Sept. 8.

“Through the work of our hands and the help of technology, we cooperate with the creator who conferred the earth as a dwelling place for the human family,” the deacon prayed, asking the students to contribute to society and use technology as a way to follow Christ and serve one another in love.  

Kindergarten through eighth grade students assembled in the school’s cafeteria to join in the prayer service as the STEM lab is located in a classroom adjoined to the space.

Following a series of petitions, Deacon Poss blessed the lab with holy water.

Before the prayers and blessing, students watched a video about the Sept. 7 canonization that included a portion of the pope delivering his homily from the canonization Mass held in Rome. Along with the 15-year-old St. Carlo, another young Italian who died at age 24 - Pier Giorgio Frassati - was canonized during the same Mass.

Deacon Poss told the students that the two new saints lived normal lives and they did not do anything that they couldn’t do – they loved and helped other people, played games, climbed mountains but were devoted to the Eucharist and put Jesus at the center of their lives.

“And that’s what we hope you learn as you come to this Catholic school – to learn to put Jesus as the center of your lives,” he said.

Erin Chute shows off some items about St. Carlo Acutis that are available in the new STEM lab.Erin Chute, principal of Sacred Heart and the middle school STEM teacher, noted this STEM lab has been in the works for some time and initially it was to be blessed and dedicated last spring when St. Acutis’ canonization was originally planned before the death of Pope Francis.
Last spring, the students participated in a special day of learning related to St. Carlo. Each received a prayer card and either a sticker or mini-keychain.

“The students were very knowable today about St. Carlo Acutis – who he is, what he stood for and what did he do,” said the principal, who added it was a group of people last year that came up with the idea to name the lab after the saint.

Not only is the saint associated with technology, she said but given that he was a teenager makes him particularly relatable to the students.

Chute pointed out that a traditional classroom was converted into the STEM lab because they knew there was a need for a designated space.

“The learning that will happen in this room is connected to careers that students will have moving forward,” she said. “We want to combine the learning from in here but also have a service aspect to it.”

Having a background in STEM, Chute said she is working time into her schedule to teach the middle school STEM classes.

“Every week middle school students come down here,” said the principal, who added that the preschool to fifth grade students will also utilize the room but not on a weekly basis. “Everyone will get exposure to it.”

The weekly sessions that are taught in the new lab focus on a combination of science, technology, engineering and math.

One STEM project eighth grade students are working on is taking recyclable plastic grocery bags for plastic fusing to make window curtains that have a stained glass look for the room.

“It incorporates environmental science with using recyclable plastics. They are using creativity in how they want to design it, making sure the vision relates to who we are here at Sacred Heart,” said Chute.

The room is equipped with various items for experiments as well as equipment such as a 3D printer.

“We have talked about connecting with Holy Spirit Retirement Home – possibly printing 3D silverware,” she said. “Some residents struggle using silverware because of their grasps or grip. Being able to add an attachment to silverware so they can have better control helps them be independent.”

The principal said they will try to partake in projects that can help to serve others.

Five STEM grants from the Iowa STEM Council over the summer has enabled the lab to be equipped with drones. They will work on projects related to circuitry and computer science.

“STEM is really flexible and there is no set curriculum, so we will make it what we want it to be,” said Chute.

The day of the blessing, Sept. 8, is also the Blessed Virgin Mary’s birthday. To tie into thatMiddle school students at Sacred Heart School in Sioux City prayed the rosary prior to the blessing for the school's new STEM lab.  special day with St. Carlo’s devotion to the rosary, Sacred Heart middle school students prayed the rosary in the church before the lab’s blessing ceremony. Between the decades, students read reflections that focused on St. Carlo Acutis.

Through the pope’s homily and reflections of the day, Chute hopes the students walked away from the day knowing that regular people can be called to be saints and it was not out of the question that they too could be.

“The theme for the school year is that we are all called to be saints,” she said. “Beyond Carlo Acutis, every classroom is picking a saint and we are really diving deep to learn about the saints of our Catholic faith.”

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