From Idea to Impact: How STEMx Club Sparked Science Day

Welcome to a new episode of the WAB Podcast. Today, we’re exploring how student leadership, innovation, and the power of science come together to connect and inspire. 

Joining us are members of WAB’s High School STEMx Club, Grade 11 students Hannah, Utkarsh, and Shane, along with their teacher and advisor, Paul Wagenaar. Together, they share how a group of passionate students reimagined what science learning could look like, culminating in WAB’s first-ever interschool Science Day. 

STEMx began as a student-led initiative aimed at making science more engaging for younger learners. The group started by running hands-on workshops in the Elementary and Middle Schools. As Hannah, the club's leader, shared: “Last year, we decided to expand our impact.” For her, what makes the club meaningful is its inclusivity: "Some members aren’t planning to study STEM in university or pursue it as a career. They joined for their interest."

Driven by curiosity and a desire to break stereotypes, like the idea that STEM is only for the ‘smart’ or mathematically inclined, the club set out to create a platform that showcased science as creative, hands-on, and socially relevant. The result was Science Day, an inter-school event exploring how science can help solve real-world issues, including challenges faced by refugees. 

Utkarsh, who joined after being recruited by Hannah at the club fair, shared his motivation: “I wanted to see if I could use what I learned in the classroom and help other people enjoy it.” Shane added, “We’re both very passionate about science and math, so we joined together.” 

With encouragement from their advisor, science teacher Paul Wagenaar, the club took ownership of the planning process. “They’re very self-motivated,” Paul said. “Many of them even contacted the administration themselves to organize the event.” 

But bringing Science Day to life wasn’t without setbacks. Faced with low early registration numbers, the team considered cancelling. “It was disappointing, especially for our grade 12 students and Mr. Wagenaar, who wouldn’t be here next year,” said Hannah. She recalled nearly giving up—until a mentor reminded her that this was just their minimum viable version. “It won’t be perfect, but it’s a first step.” It reframed the challenge as part of the process, not the end of it. The team stepped up their efforts, sending out “a hundred messages a day,” and managed to rally enough interest to make Science Day a reality. 

“The moment the opening ceremony began, it came to me that it’s actually happening,” Hannah reflected. “A very small idea turned out to be so big and successful.” Utkarsh saw the impact in real time: “I saw them actually having fun and being creative. That’s what we wanted, people having fun doing science and solving real problems.” Shane, who led a catapult-building activity, added, “I could tell the participants had a lot of fun. That was great.” 

For Paul, the highlight was witnessing the students lead the entire process: “Seeing the club members sharing their passion, figuring out ways to solve problems when things went wrong was a joyous moment for me.” 

Science Day was about testing ideas, navigating challenges, and seeing how student-led learning can have an impact. It’s a reminder of what students can accomplish when given the space to lead.