Eric Balak

GiftedEd, Instructional Tech, Pictography, Fitness Junkie, Girldad

[Eric Balak @eabalak]

Congrats to all our @BearCreekEtown student inventors in the 2025 @IU13 Regional #inventionconvention! In the K-4 band, our teams earned 🥇+🥈+🥉 out of 13 teams while in the 5-8 band, our 5th graders earned 🥇+🥈 out of 12 teams! 🎉 #inventitforward @inventitforward @brendalyntc

[Future Engineers @K12FutureE]

For the @usaeop Veterans Appreciation Challenge, the top 10 finalists in each grade-level category (20 finalists total) receive their pin designs 3D printed! Here's a look at that prize behind the scenes :) #3Ddesign #3Dstudentchallenge #3DPrinting

[Eric Balak @eabalak]

Our Second graders at East High finished and submitted their video for the Global @Sphero
World Championship which tasked students with programming Indi to launch off a ramp of at least 2 inches. Winners will be announced in the coming weeks!

[Eric Balak @eabalak]

Learning how to juggle (with a growth mindset)! @IU13GiftedNet @etownPAschools @BearCreekEtown

[Eric Balak @eabalak]

Congrats to our @etownPAschools 2nd graders at EH for earning/being invited to compete in the @SpheroEdu Indi Global World Championship for their suceess in the Indi's Jurassic Journey Challenge! @Sphero #sphero #STEAM #STEM #robotics #coding 🤖

[Eric Balak @eabalak]

As part of the @SpheroEdu Global Challenge 2024, 2nd graders at East High Elementary School @etownPAschools programmed @sphero Indi to travel through their designed land of dinosaurs while sharing what they learned from research! 👀Out their final vid! 🦕 🦖 #sphero #STEAM #STEM

[Eric Balak @eabalak]

Our @BearCreekEtown 5th graders took FIRST 🥇 place while our 4th graders took SECOND 🥈 place out of 21 teams in this year's @STEMatIU13 Elementary STEM Bowl, thus becoming repeat Champions for the 2nd year in a row, & in an Etown Finals Showdown! @etownPAschools @IU13GiftedNet

[Eric Balak @eabalak]

Congrats to our very own @BearCreekEtown Grant Booth for earning one of the top 10 National Finalists spots in the @K12FutureE AEOP Veteran's Appreciation Pin Design Challenge! @etownPAschools! What a great way to express gratitude for all our current and past Vets! 🙏

[IU13 Gifted Network @IU13GiftedNet]

On May 21-22, 181 students from 14 districts & 7 nonpublic schools competed in the 24 Math Challenge Competition. Fast-paced rounds & great sportsmanship! Thanks to all proctors & Mr. Jason Hoffman from Hempfield SD. #WorkWorthDoing

[Eric Balak @eabalak]

@STEMatIU13 @IU13GiftedNet @IU13

[Eric Balak @eabalak]

One of @BearCreekEtown 3rd grade teams earned THIRD place 🥉 out of 17 teams in today's Mini STEM Bowl hosted by the @IU13EdTech! Our third grade team advanced all the way to the semi-finals in today's competition! Kudos to both teams in being STEMtacular! @etownPAschools

[Eric Balak @eabalak]

@ScienceBuddies @etownPAschools Thanks! I wish I could post all the videos to showcase their fails, improvements, and overall progression to the final drop! They had a blast either way!

[Eric Balak @eabalak]

My 2nd graders @etownPAschools were successful in vertically landing their rocket on their rocket catcher in 2 consecutive trials from ~170cm despite wind. After deducting their material cost from their shuttlecock-inspired design, they were able to score ~145pts! @ScienceBuddies

[Eric Balak @eabalak]

Do you know the survival rate of rainbow trout from egg to adulthood in the wild vs hatchery vs our classroom? Third graders made predictions, and then using math and science, calculated the actual results. The numbers may surprise you! 🐟 @etownPAschools @PennsylvaniaTU #PATIC

[Eric Balak @eabalak]

Today, @BearCreekEtown 3rd and 4th graders had the opportunity to learn about analog missions and aerospace engineering from Ashley Kowalski, project leader and civic engineer for the Aerospace Corporation and their mission to Mars! @ScienceBuddies @AerospaceCorp @etownPAschools

[Eric Balak @eabalak]

Congrats to our @BearCreekEtown 4th/5th grade Reading Olympics Team who earned the blue ribbon (the highest one you can receive) for scoring 50+ points over 3 rounds of questions against other schools based on any of the 25 novels they read this school year! @etownPAschools @IU13

[Eric Balak @eabalak]

@inventitforward @brendalyntc @BearCreekEtown @etownPAschools @IU13EdTech TY! 🙏💡

[Eric Balak @eabalak]

Congrats to Grant & Rochan for earning 3rd place at the PA Invention Convention out of 60 teams K-12 (and ~25 teams K-4) for their invention of the SEL Sensory Stuffy! Kudos to Jaden & Jacob for coming in 4th place! @brendalyntc @BearCreekEtown
@etownPAschools @IU13EdTech 👏💡

[Eric Balak @eabalak]

As part of the @SpheroEdu Global Challenge 2024, 2nd graders at Bainbridge Elementary School @etownPAschools programmed @sphero Indi to travel through their designed land of dinosaurs while sharing what they learned from research! 👀Out their final vid! 🦕 🦖 #sphero #STEAM #STEM

[Eric Balak @eabalak]

As part of the @SpheroEdu Global Challenge 2024, 2nd graders at East High Elementary School @etownPAschools programmed @sphero Indi to travel through their designed land of dinosaurs while sharing what they learned from research! 👀Out their final vid! 🦕 🦖 #sphero #STEAM #STEM

[Eric Balak @eabalak]

Gr4/5 students @BearCreekEtown competed in the @IU13 Regional K'Nex Design Challenge. Congrats to the Urban Green N' Clean on earning 2nd place for their Green roof skyscraper prototype as a solution to improving infrastructure & urban development!🥇@etownPAschools @IU13EdTech