Interdisciplinary Innovation on Wheels: A Fourth Grade Showcase

On Friday, May 2, 2025, our fourth grade students transformed the CE auditorium into a vibrant hub of creativity and entrepreneurship as they presented their food truck businesses to an audience of fellow students, faculty, administrators, and families. The event marked the culmination of an interdisciplinary unit that combined research, design, marketing, and innovation—anchored in the study of the regions of the United States.

Rooted in the social studies curriculum, the project began with each student randomly assigned a U.S. state to explore. From there, they became both scholars and entrepreneurs, diving deep into the unique agricultural, cultural, and culinary identity of their state. Guided by their teachers, students learned how to conduct academic research using reliable sources, craft outlines, and write comprehensive research papers. In library class, Mrs. Alison Madden introduced essential skills such as paraphrasing, note-taking, and using NoodleTools for proper citation—an early foundation for academic integrity and scholarly habits.

To bring authenticity to their work, the unit launched with a visit to Lu Taquería in Downtown Bethlehem. There, students heard directly from the owner about the journey of starting a food truck and transitioning to a brick-and-mortar business. Inspired by this real-world perspective, students developed signature dishes based on the agricultural products of their assigned states.

In science, the “Great Grow Along” program, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Society of Biomedical Research, gave students insight into how diet affects development. They applied this understanding to make thoughtful and nutritious menu choices for their trucks. In math, students visited Wegmans to research ingredient prices and used spreadsheets to calculate costs, quantities, and taxes—turning abstract concepts into practical applications under the guidance of Mrs. Sara Polefka.

Branding and marketing came to life with a lesson from Moravian Academy’s own Director of Marketing and Communications, Stephanie Vasta. In art class with Mr. Brian Elstein, students explored the significance of logos and the design process. Along with their logos, they crafted slogans, and color choices before creating original branding for their trucks. The logos below were designed by Gwendolyn Imel '33, Jojo Bellucci '33, Bianca Leuschner '33, and Eli Lugo '33. 

Building on this, they crafted jingles in music class with Mr. Ben Wallace using rhythmic patterns and Chrome Music Lab. The catchy, student-written jingles reflected their understanding of musical form and marketing appeal. You can listen to Caitlyn Yaverbaum '33’s Jingle here.

In coding class with Mrs. Sara Polefka, students used Scratch to create interactive programs and Canva to design engaging commercials. These digital presentations showcased their growing proficiency in computational thinking and multimedia design—skills they’ve been developing since first grade. You can view Nicole Rojas '33’s commercial here.

The branding and marketing segment concluded with a visit to the Hershey Story Museum, where students participated in the “Sweet Strategies” program. Working in teams, they created new chocolate products, designed packaging, and built marketing plans—all while exploring the life and legacy of Milton Hershey.

To complete the project, students built 3D models of their food trucks at home, incorporating key design elements from their campaigns and highlighting features unique to their assigned states. The final presentations celebrated weeks of inquiry, collaboration, and creativity. With confidence and pride, each student shared their research, marketing materials, jingles, commercials, and models—showcasing not just what they learned, but how they applied that knowledge across disciplines.