financial support, while the district’s food-service partner found creative ways to incorporate studentgrown produce into the cafeteria menu which ultimately led to winning Farm to School Award for the State of NJ. Facilities partners also helped the school achieve Sustainable Jersey Silver status through energy audits and efficiency planning. FROM KINDERGARTEN CODERS TO EIGHTHGRADE ENGINEERS While construction was underway, the district also began strengthening its curriculum to ensure the new facilities would translate into deeper learning. Supervisor of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Shanna Weber describes this as a multi-year evolution designed to weave science, technology, and creativity throughout the K–8 journey. Computer science now begins in kindergarten, where students learn basic computing concepts and use Bee-Bot robots to explore programming logic. They work in pairs—one as navigator, one as driver— learning the foundations of sequencing, testing, and problem-solving. By the upper elementary years, they progressed to block-based JavaScript coding and Ozobot programming on iPads, advancing to more complex design and coding in middle school. Industrial arts and engineering form a parallel track, starting as early as kindergarten with projects that combine craftsmanship and problem-solving. Students learn to use tools safely and build tangible projects like birdhouses and carousels before tackling physics-inspired challenges such as rubberband cars and hot-air balloons. By eighth grade, the 223 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 12 CRANBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT
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