Hundreds of parents, students and other assorted residents came out last week to see the East Windsor Regional School District Curriculum Fair for what looks to be the new start of an old annual tradition.

On April 14, the halls were lined with student projects and dioramas, including that of Melvin H. Kreps Middle School eighth grader Tommy Haddock. He stood with a golf club and offered passersby a shot at his geometrically designed miniature golf hole, on which he used math to plot out the winning shot.

“It’s based on the angle of reflection,” he explained. Sadly, a solid theoretical understanding wasn’t enough to turn my shot into a hole-in-one, even on a small course like this one. (Let's just say I don't think the math is at fault here and leave it at that.)

In one of the gymnasiums, Hightstown High School teacher Chris Gregory and the award-winning competitive robotics team he advises were putting on a show. Without human assistance (beyond building it), the robot picked up a hoop, took it over to a rig and placed it on a peg in well-coordinated movements.

The robot represented the team in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) competition, in which the school this year got to the semi-final national level in Washington, D.C. Gregory said the team built its robot in just 45 days—including weekends.

“The goal of the program is to basically inspire students to pursue things involving engineering, computer science, all that kind of cool stuff. Students even end up pulling biz skills, teamwork, leadership and that sort of thing out of the program,” he said.

Not far from student choir and dance performances, Amy Kramer, content specialist of the high school’s business department, showed off the work of the honors business practice firm class. Senior Amy Ackerman, one of the class’ students, showed off the workings of the fictional Rise & Shine Cleaning Service.

Hightstown High students run a virtual business, complete with business plan, corporate structure and payroll. Students use the virtual money they earn to hire other schools’ businesses in the online world they share.  The computer network involves chatting and even video-conferencing with schools as far away as Australia, and the class has marked out the location of every correspondent all across a world map.

Amy (the student) said she intends on being a business leader when she’s older, but for now it’s her alter ego, marketing manager and IT chairperson Maggie Mae, who’s getting all the credit.

“On a daily basis, I check the company e-mail, and every day I’m sending out contracts and order forms and getting them back and checking them,” the younger Amy explained. “We got a $4,000 order and we actually got $5,000, and I was very proud to say, ‘Here’s your money back—we’re a good business!’”