Mrs. McCarthy’s 3rd grade class worked in teams on Wednesday on a Valentine’s Day-themed STEM challenge — to create a small paper basket, bucket, or other vessel that could carry a Valentine’s Day gift down a zip line. Each team was given the same basic materials to create their “carrier vessel” — card stock, straws, tape, string, paper clips, Popsicle sticks, and binder clips. Combining elements of science, technology, engineering, and math, each team had to plan, build, test, and, if necessary, modify their carrier. Mrs. McCarthy said all the carriers showed great ingenuity and every team was able to successfully complete the challenge.