Month: June 2026

By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger

FORT MADISON —Holy Trinity freshman Brooklyn Forsythe recently traveled to Phoenix to represent Iowa at the world’s largest science fair.

She was invited to attend the Regeneron International Science and Industry Fair (ISEF) in a student observer capacity after an impressive run at the State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa in March, where she placed second in the power and structural category and earned the Excellence in Global Impact Award. Her science project focused on the potential for piezoelectric walkways in public areas to generate electricity from footsteps.

About 1,700 students from more than 60 countries compete for prizes at the international fair each year, according to the organization’s website. The observer program gives high-achieving students who did not qualify as finalists a chance to show their work and gain experience in a noncompetitive role. “ISEF is a unique opportunity for students from around the world who have been selected and screened to share their science research with other students and scientists and engineers from all over the world,” said Ernie Schiller, advisor of the Holy Trinity Science Club and a retired school teacher. The Iowa delegation included 15 finalists and 7 observers, according to an Iowa State University Extension and Outreach press release.

During the fair, Forsythe explored exhibits, participated in workshops and got to know other participants from Iowa. “I had so much fun and explored so many places. I bonded with others in the delegation and it was an amazing time,” she said, noting that she especially enjoyed trading pins with other participants.

Forsythe’s journey to Phoenix began in the fall, when she and other Science Club members began brainstorming their individual projects. Her interest in environmentally friendly energy sources led her to research piezoelectricity. “I had been looking into green energy sources that would be cheap and available,” she told The Catholic Messenger. “We use sidewalks every day, so (I thought) that could be very convenient.” The Science Club participated in several local and regional competitions, with the top finishers advancing to state. Other Holy Trinity students have been invited to the international fair since Schiller formed Holy Trinity’s Science Club about 10 years ago, including Jack Ragar in 2025.

Forsythe attended the 2026 fair alongside Schiller and her parents, Blake and Amy. The regional ISEF organization paid for her admission, and Holy Trinity covered her travel expenses. It was a reunion, of sorts; Blake Forsythe, a graduate of Harmony High School in Farmington, competed as a finalist three times in the late 1990s and early 2000s under Schiller’s tutelage. “To be part of that delegation (with) some of the best and brightest minds from your state, representing it and sharing your research on an international level is a life-guiding experience that I think one can lean on in future endeavors,” Blake Forsythe said.

Brooklyn Forsythe said she was grateful to all three of her travel companions for their help with the project. Schiller offered counsel on “research Saturdays,” she said, and Blake Forsythe offered support during the research phase by cross-checking research and helping with the electrical elements of the presentation. Mom Amy provided emotional support and helped her daughter work through moments of frustration. “I don’t think I could have done it without them.”

Blake Forsythe said watching his daughter take ownership of her research idea, run with it and continuously strive to perfect it has been a deeply captivating experience. He is grateful to Schiller and the Holy Trinity community for the opportunities they’ve provided to students with an interest in science and research. “It is awesome to see the excitement and pride from Brooklyn and all the other students for their research and to share it with judges, visitors, educators, and even other competitors at all of the science fairs,” he said. As they strive to question, innovate and take on problems outside their comfort zone, “they can see the direct correlation that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.”

The freshman hopes to continue researching green energy sources and, hopefully, bring them to the forefront someday. “I’m grateful to God he made this earth, and it’s really sad that we’re kind of destroying it,” she said. “Climate change is getting really bad… If I can help, that’s one of my big goals.”

By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger

BLOOMFIELD — Youths from St. Mary Magdalen Parish added a little color to their world this spring.

Religious education students donated money throughout Lent to purchase flowers for the parish’s flower bed. It’s a blend of tradition with a new twist, said Angela Hunter, the parish’s religious education coordinator. “While our Religious Education (RE) classes have a history of Lenten tithing and our flower beds are a perennial parish project, this is the first year we have bridged the two — allowing the children’s own contributions to fund the flowers they planted themselves.”

Hunter credits religious education teacher Joni Helton for developing the concept and helping it blossom. “We wanted the children to see the tangible fruit of their generosity,” Hunter said on behalf of the religious education team, which also includes teacher Debra Cox. The flower bed surrounds the parish’s monument sign along Highway 63.

The multi-step process began in the classroom where students decorated their own Lenten offertory envelopes. Throughout the season, they placed the envelopes in the offertory baskets during Mass.

The students spent two class sessions hand-painting accent rocks with encouraging messages and artwork. Parish adults later sealed the rocks with a weather-resistant coating “to ensure their artwork remains vibrant throughout the seasons,” Hunter said.

Last month, youths and their parents filled the beds with a rainbow of traditional parish favorites, including marigolds, zinnias, coleus plants, cannas and dahlias. The parish chose to source the plants from local greenhouses to support the larger community.

Hunter loved seeing intergenerational camaraderie during the planting process. “The energy was wonderful — the children were thrilled to get their hands in the dirt, and having parents and siblings join in turned it into a parish community event.” To keep that spirit alive, families will volunteer to serve as gardeners throughout the summer months, watering and tending the garden as needed.

The response to the project has been overwhelmingly positive, Hunter said. “Parishioners loved witnessing the students’ enthusiasm. Since the gardens sit right at the front of our church, they’ve become a point of pride for the whole neighborhood.” The project has been a powerful opportunity for youths “to see their stewardship come to life right in front of the church,” she added.