Integrate Emerging Technologies and Opportunities

Lower School students are immensely creative. Their ingenuity is visible in the art room, on the playground, and in the hallways. To deepen academic excellence through our Future Focus initiative, we launched Mustang Makers this year to expand opportunities for hands-on design and innovation. While centered in a hub in the Lower School Commons, Mustang Makers extends into classrooms and the LS Library, providing students access to loose parts, programmable robots, a 3D printer, and a laser cutter.

Led by Lower School Director Katie Mahoney and STEM Chair Jeremy Kes, planning began in early 2025 with a focus on authentic, experiential learning. Interviews with students and faculty highlighted a desire for interactive, research-driven projects and a "responsive" space that allows students to pursue their passions. This feedback shaped our core design question: How might we equip a making hub that fosters student engagement, collaboration, and critical problem-solving?

Hear from Lower School faculty about how Mustang Makers is transforming how students innovate and create:

Coding Robots in K-4 by Emily Jones, LS Librarian:

Once a month during Library time, students engage in hands-on coding & programming with age-appropriate materials that foster growth mindsets and problem-solving skills. Using either Cubelet or Cubetto robots, students work in pairs or small groups to practice algorithmic thinking and complete challenges by writing, executing, and debugging programs. These experiences encourage students to think like computer scientists: to persist through difficulty, to think creatively, and to demystify technologies. And they have a lot of fun discovering that their robots will run exactly as they are programmed and that no challenge is too big.

M² by George Dornbach, LS Chaplain, and Lara Johnson, LS Art:

Beyond time together in the Library, a new initiative is inspiring making during recess, M². Drawing this time, students tackle challenges that foster problem-solving and creativity. The first M² challenge of the year was “Launch a Mustang.” Each student was given a paper cup, rubber bands, popsicle sticks, string, tape, a spoon and a miniature mustang figurine. Then students had to design a durable and sturdy machine that would send their mustang aerial as they try to set distance records in the LS Commons.  Could work on their own or as a team. Then make readjustments, spoon would break so had to reimagine. Quickly set records at 14 ft, 20 feet and then, finally, one student set a Lower School record at more than 40 feet. Students show up ready to make something new. M² is providing a new outlet for student passion, curiosity and exploration. For us, it has been fun to see the kids who were so excited to work with one another. Looking ahead, our hope is that we can begin to work with larger materials and develop long-term, sustained projects, such as weaving.

Teacher Training in partnership with the University of Wisconsin, Madison by Jeremy Kes, LS Stem Chair:

A key driver of Mustang Makers is the intentional investment in our educators. This year, ten teachers across the Lower School and Middle School are participating in a year-long Maker Educator Leadership Certificate program through the University of Wisconsin School of Education. This program is designed to deepen maker-centered pedagogy and build shared language around design, iteration, and student agency. Through hands-on workshops, collaborative planning, and classroom-based experimentation, teachers are not only learning new tools and technologies, but also rethinking how making can amplify core learning goals across disciplines. By developing internal maker leaders, Breck School is ensuring that Mustang Makers is not a standalone program, but a durable, school-wide approach to innovation that grows with our students and faculty alike.