Students are engaged, curiosity is activated, and they’re knocking coding out of the park!

Students at Holy Family Catholic School in Alliston have discovered a new way to experience STEM — through baseball. After noticing how much excitement the Blue Jays were generating among students, Educator Cassandra Daly looked for a way to channel that energy into learning. The result was a school-wide “Sphero Baseball League,” where students spin to determine their “at bat,” then code their robots to run the bases.

What began as a fun Learning Commons idea led to a noticeable shift in student engagement. Students who didn’t think coding was “their thing” surprised themselves, and the teamwork that followed shifted the energy in the room in a big way.

“Students that normally wouldn’t pick up a robot were getting involved because they love the sport,” said Cassandra. “It kept them engaged and connected.”

Students agree the challenge made STEM feel different. “I didn’t think coding was for me, but this made it fun. Now I want to learn more,” shared one participant.

The Sphero baseball activity shows that when students are engaged and curiosity is activated, learning hits a home run. Just like the robots racing around the bases, students are knocking coding out of the park — and that’s definitely one in the win column.