Most students use their TI-84 calculators for math homework—but senior Andres Hoyos has turned his into a full-fledged game studio. He has programmed TI-BASIC versions of PAC-MAN, Donkey Kong, a full Mario Party remake, and more. His passion for game development led him to mentor sixth grader Santiago Garcia in the Computer Science Club, guiding him through coding his first original game and now collaborating on a custom Minesweeper project. With plans to study software engineering and a new WarioWare-style collection already in progress, Andres embodies the creativity, curiosity, and collaboration that define STEAM at Belen.
TheBoiler
Andres hopes to study software engineering in college and continue pushing his creativity to new levels. His upcoming project, WarioWare, features more than twenty minigames another ambitious step in his coding journey. His ingenuity, mentorship, and collaborative spirit shine brightly within Belen’s STEAM community, showing just how far passion and persistence can take a young developer
STEAMAcrosstheCurriculum
ClubUpdates
scale museum design. Students created immersive exhibits that highlight pivotal battles, defining events, and the voices of both Patriots and Loyalists. From Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride to life at Valley Forge, each display blends historical research with creativity featuring artifacts, visuals, and interactive storytelling that transport visitors straight into the heart of the Revolution
STEAMAcrosstheCurriculum
Isla de las Serpientes
Minecraft meets Spanish 3 as students in Ms. Mederos’ class dared to enter Snake Island--virtually. Students designed key settings like the crash site, jungle, and research dome Their scenes are filled with characters, key moments, and of course… muchas serpientes. To bring language learning to life, students will “fly over ” their custom worlds and retell the story s biggest plot points entirely in Spanish.
Reimagining the Sacred
In Mrs. Anton s Latin American History class, seniors became architects at the crossroads of faith and culture. Using the engineering design process, students redesigned famous Catholic structures cathedrals, basilicas, and monuments—through the lens of Mesoamerican pyramid architecture From geometric precision to symbolic meaning, each model blended indigenous design principles with Catholic Social Teaching, creating sacred spaces that honor God, community, and cultural heritage.
Tablets of Power
Ancient history took shape literally as students crafted clay “Tablets of Power” spotlighting rulers from the Akkadian, Babylonian, Neo-Sumerian, and Persian empires. After researching their leader’s achievements and propaganda strategies, students designed tablets featuring historically accurate symbols of authority and hand-carved cuneiform slogans The result? Museum-ready artifacts that show how art, politics, and communication shaped the ancient world.
Temples Through Time
In Ms. Leañez’s Art History class, students became Egyptian architects as they designed and built models of funerary or cult temples. Using key architectural features like pylons, hypostyle halls, and obelisks, they combined historical accuracy with creative craftsmanship to bring ancient engineering to life
STEAMAcrosstheCurriculum
Piper Pioneers
In Ms Prieto’s Technology Essentials class, students explored Piper Computer Kits DIY wooden computers built piece by piece like a puzzle. Through hands-on assembly and coding challenges, they strengthened their engineering, logic, and problem-solving skills while discovering how computers work from the inside out
Robotics in Motion
In Robotics, Mr. Gonzalez’s students kicked off the quarter by customizing their XRP robots with name tag attachments they designed in OnShape. From there, they leveled up to proportional control loops, learning how to achieve smooth, precise turns. Their skills were put to the test in an autonomous delivery challenge following a line, retrieving a medical package with a servo arm, and navigating back to deliver it safely.
Cyber Sleuths
Students in Mr Riggs’ 10th grade Computer Science class wrapped up their cybersecurity unit with presentations comparing malware and ransomware. Each group explored how attacks spread, the techniques hackers use to exploit systems, and the defenses organizations rely on to stay protected turning complex digital threats into clear, compelling insights.
Engineering by Design
In STEAM Explorations, Mr. Cruz’s students wrapped up their robotics platform build for a real client, using teamwork and the design process to meet a practical need. They’ve now jumped into a new challenge: designing and constructing cardboard boats capable of carrying two students across the pool With buoyancy, stability, and creativity at the helm, this project puts problem-solving into motion.
From Concept to Creation
Mr Cruz’s Honors Principles of Engineering class welcomed alumni from Skeletal Dynamics Daniel Sixto ’16, Gabriel Mesa ’12, and Bobby Lacasa ’18 for an inside look at how ideas become real-world medical devices. After exploring the full design-to-distribution pipeline, students are taking inspiration into their next hands-on challenge: building interconnected Rube Goldberg machines that will join together into one class-wide chain reaction.
Designing in 3D
Students in Mr Cruz’s Introduction to Engineering Design class are diving into the world of CAD, learning to model in Fusion as they transform sketches into digital prototypes. This early foundation in 3D design prepares them to engineer, iterate, and build their own creations later this year just like real designers and product developers.
Innovation in the Wild
Mr. Perez’s Design & Innovation students took their work off campus with a visit to the Moonlighter FabLab in Miami Beach During a Design Thinking Charette, teams swapped senior projects and reimagined one another’s ideas through the stages of empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping, and testing. Armed with fresh insights and community feedback, students returned to campus ready to refine and rebuild with momentum.
InnovationCenterTours
This October, the Roberto C. Goizueta Innovation Center welcomed students from Our Lady of Lourdes Parish School for a hands-on day of creativity, problem-solving, and exploration. Their visit offered a glimpse into the innovative spirit that powers STEAM learning at Belen, as students rotated through activities designed to spark curiosity and build confidence with new technologies.
While the visiting boys toured the Belen campus, the girls spent the morning with Dr. Salazar and Dr. Mabe in the Innovation Center for a special coding and robotics experience. Using LEGO Spike Prime kits, the girls engineered and programmed their own Hopper Race robots—experimenting with motion, balance, and timing as they prepared for the final competition. Cheers and laughter filled the room as students tested, redesigned, and refined their builds, proving that engineering is all about iteration and teamwork
STEAMFLEXSeries
The visit was a powerful reminder of how engaging, inclusive, and empowering STEAM can be when students are encouraged to explore, build, and imagine without limits
The STEAM FLEX Series continued this October as 7th graders stepped into the Innovation Center to explore the world of 3D Design & 3D Printing. During their FLEX sessions, students learned how digital models are created, refined, and transformed into physical objects using our 3D printers. From keychains to custom prototypes, they brought their ideas to life layer by layer earning their first STEAM Skills Badge along the way.
Looking ahead to November, the series will continue with an expanded dive into 3D design, this time using TinkerCAD. Students will build new modeling skills, complete design challenges, and have the opportunity to earn their TinkerCAD Design Badge. With more hands-on projects and even more opportunities to create, the STEAM FLEX Series is helping students discover the tools and technologies that power modern innovation.
From first-time coders to future engineers, every visit and workshop in the Innovation Center helps ignite curiosity—and inspires the next generation of innovators.
ClubUpdates
Our STEAM clubs are moving full speed into competition season, with students building, coding, and preparing for big moments this November
Middle School Robotics: WaldoBots on the Move
The WaldoBots are gearing up for their first competition on Sunday, November 9th. Teams have been hard at work completing their robots, fine-tuning mechanisms, and practicing their skills routines to make sure they’re ready for the arena. Their dedication and teamwork are setting the stage for an exciting season ahead
High School Robotics: Ready to Compete
Our FTC teams are also preparing for their upcoming November competitions as they refine their designs, iterate on new mechanisms, and put in hours of driver practice. With creative strategies and strong collaboration, both teams are looking forward to showcasing their engineering skills on the field.
From robots to rockets, from code to competition STEAM at Belen is all about building the future together.
Student from the VEX IQ Robotics team
UpNext:
November and December are packed with innovation in the Roberto C. Goizueta Innovation Center:
Robotics Competitions: Both Middle School and High School teams will compete throughout November cheer them on as they put their engineering expertise to the test.
More STEAM Across the Curriculum: New classes will visit the Innovation Center for hands-on STEAM activities, with even more cross-curricular projects scheduled for December.
More Opportunities to Create: From FLEX sessions to special class visits, students will continue building, designing, coding, and exploring all semester long.
The momentum is growing, and we can’t wait to see what our students build next. Stay tuned and stay curious!
