Julie Wilder’s students can make a car out of a cardboard box. As the science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) teacher at Davis Elementary in Decatur, it’s her job to make sure they have the materials and know-how to do so.
Now her job is easier than ever before thanks to a new cardboard cutting tool, purchased with the help of an MEC Strengthening Schools Grant (funded via partnership dollars through our power supplier, Wolverine Power Cooperative).
Unforeseen Circumstances
In September of 2025, Wilder broke her finger. Per the doctor’s orders, she had to stop using her hand for a full eight weeks to heal. There was just one problem: her STEAM lessons required her to cut cardboard for her students using a box cutter. Without her hand, this simply wasn’t possible.
Wilder started looking for tools that would allow students to cut their own materials. However, safety concerns presented another issue, as many of the tools she found were simply too technical for elementary schoolers and could potentially put their own fingers at risk.
Enter the ChompSaw, a motorized cutting tool with a small opening to insert cardboard and a finger guard to ensure nobody could hurt themselves. The price tag was a bit higher than usual for Wilder, but she soon found a solution for this as well. On the advice of her superintendent, she applied for an MEC Strengthening Schools Grant, and the rest is history.
The Tools to Succeed
As one of the school’s special classes, Wilder’s STEAM class is attended by each student in the building for 50 minutes about once per week. While lessons vary by grade, the structure is the same. Students read about a scientific concept, then do a hands-on activity that incorporates what they learned, gaining experience with everything from making bar graphs to engineering paper planes and balloon-powered cars. The materials she presents her students with are all common household items including tape rolls, CDs, and yes, cardboard.
Students get more than scientific knowledge from the classes—they get the chance to practice their self-esteem too. Sometimes projects fail, and Wilder says it’s important for kids to be able to experience that failure and process it. As she puts it, “If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, and that’s okay. You keep trying.”
Wilder says not every student learns the same way, and her classes give students opportunities to learn in creative ways that they might not experience in a traditional classroom setting.
“STEAM encourages creativity and innovation,” she says. “You hear about it now more than ever because technology is becoming so important. It’s not just individualized paper and pencil now.”
Although Wilder looks forward to the surprises that come with teaching a class all about creativity, she’s also happy about one certainty this year: Thanks to her Strengthening Schools-funded ChompSaw, students will have the materials they need to learn—even the perfect cut of cardboard.
Apply Now for a Strengthening Schools Grant
There’s still time left! If you’re a teacher, administrator, or school official at a public school serving students in our electric service areas, visit teammidwest.com/school-grants to apply by Oct. 12.
Please note: Due to the nature of the partnership dollars that fund Strengthening Schools Grants, schools serving students solely in our fiber internet service areas are not eligible.
