Newton Stars KIDS

Give the Gift of Nature This Earth Day 🌍 Ranger Rick: Trusted by families for 50+ years. 🌿

Get ready for a summer full of discovery, creativity, and FUN! ☀️🚀

STEM NOLA’s Hands-On Summer Camps are back at Xavier University, giving students the chance to explore everything from rockets and chemistry to biology, technology, and engineering! 🤖🔬

Led by our incredible staff, interns, and volunteers, each week is packed with interactive, hands-on learning experiences designed to spark curiosity and build confidence.

✅ Open to ALL parishes
✅ Snacks, water, & lunch provided
✅ Safe, engaging, and fun environment

Spots are limited—secure your child’s place today!

🔗 registration.stemnola.com

2026 STEM Fest

🎭✨ STEM Saturday is going full Mardi Gras! ✨🎭

Calling all K–12 students in Greater New Orleans area— presents The Art & STEM of Mardi Gras, a FREE, hands-on STEM experience where students will build and test their own Mardi Gras floats while learning about the engineering behind their movement & structure. This hands-on experience brings together the artistic and scientific aspects of Mardi Gras, fostering creativity and engineering skills while celebrating the vibrant culture of the festival.

January 31, 2026
⏰ 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM
📍 Lyons Recreation Center | New Orleans, LA

🎉 Cost: FREE
👧🏽👦🏼 Open to K–12th grades

🎯 Spots are limited—register today!
👉 registration.stemnola.com

Training grounds flyer coming soon.

Thanks to for sponsoring this event!

🧠🔬 When home feels like a battlefield, the brain responds the same way war does.

Groundbreaking research from University College London and the Anna Freud Centre reveals that children exposed to family violence develop brain activity patterns strikingly similar to combat veterans.

Using functional MRI scans, researchers found that maltreated children show heightened responses in the amygdala and anterior insula—regions that detect and process threats—when viewing angry faces. These same regions are hyperactive in soldiers who’ve experienced combat, suggesting that repeated exposure to violence literally rewires a child’s emotional circuitry for hyper-vigilance.

While this adaptation may help children sense danger in the short term, it also primes the brain for anxiety disorders and long-term mental health struggles. Importantly, none of the children in the study had psychiatric diagnoses, highlighting how invisible these neural changes can be.

As Professor Peter Fonagy emphasized, protecting children from violence is not only a moral responsibility but also a scientific necessity—since the scars it leaves on the brain can endure for a lifetime.

Source: McCrory, E., et al. (2011). Maltreated children show same pattern of brain activity as combat soldiers. Current Biology.

How does this research change your perspective on childhood trauma? What are the broader implications of understanding these neurological changes?

Disclaimer: This content is for informational and educational purposes only.