Thursday, July 17, 2025
72 ° Partly Cloudy
72 ° Partly Cloudy
Two ninth-grade students from Newtown, Avi Abrol and Dillon Lind, are spending their summer bringing the wonders of STEM to elementary students through their newly founded program, STEMStrong. On June 4, they brought their energy and creativity to the Village Library of Wrightstown for a special presentation on catapults to a small group of students from Wrightstown Elementary School.
Avi and Dillon, both freshmen at Council Rock North High School and former classmates at Sol Feinstone Elementary, first dreamed up the idea for STEMStrong last summer. Their mission? To spark curiosity and confidence in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) by providing hands-on, engaging learning opportunities to children who might not otherwise get the chance.
“We both participated in science fairs in the past and volunteered at the FabLab,” Dillon explained before the presentation. “We really enjoyed it, and we saw that a lot of other schools don’t have those same opportunities. So we decided to create our own program that would bring these STEM experiences for free directly to kids, especially to those in underserved areas.”
Their efforts aren’t just about teaching; they’re about sparking excitement. “We want to make STEM fun and interesting,” Avi added. “If kids in underprivileged areas aren’t getting that first spark of interest in STEM, they might see science as boring when they get older. But if they’re exposed to it earlier in a fun way, it could open up so many paths for them.”
During their second visit to the Wrightstown Library, Avi and Dillon kicked things off with a PowerPoint presentation, showing the children how catapults work and how they’re used in the modern world, from aircraft carriers to pumpkin chunkin’ contests. They described how the tension in a catapult stores energy and how the angle affects how far it can launch.
The real fun began when the students got to build their own catapults using spoons, popsicle sticks, and rubber bands. “We wanted them to see the scientific aspects of these projects and how they apply to real life,” Dillon said. Then they added a competition to see whose design could launch the farthest.
Avi said that element of competition helps kids stay engaged. “It’s more than just building; it’s about testing, improving, and thinking creatively.”
STEMStrong is already making a mark. Besides the Wrightstown Library, they’ve led STEM activities at Christ’s Home in Warminster, a foster care home, and they plan to visit the Trenton Public Library next month. “We’re also reaching out to more places and to our friends who love science to come help,” Avi said. “Our long-term goal is to create a makerspace, a place where kids can come in, use tools and resources, and build things they might not have the opportunity to access at home.”
For Dillon and Avi, it’s all about sharing the same love of science that started for them at Sol Feinstone Elementary School’s science fairs and have continued through high school.
The boys have been participating in multiple local and regional science fairs beginning in 7th grade, all the way through high school. They have collected numerous awards between them, including many first place finishes.
“We both take high-level biology classes and love science,” Avi shared. “Dillon wants to go into medicine, and I’m interested in marine biology, but we’re both driven by that same curiosity.”
Beyond academics, where both boys are taking honors classes and preparing for AP coursework next year, Avi and Dillon also play competitive sports for Council Rock North; Avi plays soccer and Dillon plays baseball.
The boys are already thinking bigger. They hope to expand their reach to more schools and libraries and to launch their own science fairs for elementary students. “We want kids from all backgrounds to have the same chance to create their own projects, to think like scientists and engineers,” Dillon said. “We hope to keep this going for as long as we can.”
For more information about STEMStrong or to learn how you can support their mission, visit www.stemstrong.org or email stemstronginfo@gmail.com.
