Pop Culture to Problem-Solving

Inside the STEAM-Inspired Taylor Swift Dress Project

Extraordinary things happen when a pop culture moment intersects with the curiosity of inquiry-based learning. This fall, St. Mary’s Makerspace became the design studio for music icon Taylor Swift’s wedding dress. People Magazine and USA Today took notice, but at St. Mary’s, out-of-the-box projects like this happen every day.

What started as lunchtime chatter, sparked by third-grade teacher Kristen Hehn’s announcement of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement, quickly transformed into an innovative engineering project. STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) Coordinator Carrie Ruhland gave her third-grade students an out-of-this-world assignment — plan and construct a life-size wedding dress for Taylor Swift using the engineering design process.

“Some of the girls started asking me at the end of last year if they could learn to sew,” said Ruhland. Listening to her students’ interests, Ruhland saw an opportunity to pivot a project she was already planning to capitalize on a pop culture moment that excited her students.

“We can accomplish so much more with kindness, and I think the girls see that kindness in Taylor Swift,” she said. “There is nothing stronger than women supporting one another, and I love that they are learning this at St. Mary’s.”

Ruhland explains that she wants her students to experiment boldly, question intentionally, and learn to see challenges as opportunities.

“I want our students to feel empowered as they grow,” she said. “My goal is for our girls to feel confident in their choices and respectful of others who may think differently.”

While the dress is whimsical, the learning is serious. Research shows that girls begin to internalize stereotypes about brilliance and science, technology, engineering, and math fields as early as age six, which can discourage them from pursuing those interests. By providing hands-on, empowering experiences from preschool through high school, St. Mary’s helps reverse these trends by ensuring girls see themselves as scientists, engineers, and innovators from the start.

At St. Mary’s, STEAM education is more than a set of skills; it’s a mindset rooted in curiosity, creativity, and a passion for problem-solving. Beginning in first grade, students engage in interdisciplinary projects that combine science, library, and art lessons in projects and use the engineering design process to research, plan, build, and test their creativity with STEAM principles.

“For years, the girls have learned the engineering design process with me. They know that before we start, we must plan. We started this project in the same way,” Ruhland said. “Throughout the process, students had to make numerous decisions. Sometimes things did not go as expected. That’s life. We work to solve those problems. Sometimes the greatest learning happens in those tricky moments.”

What may appear to be a playful nod to Taylor Swift was actually an intentional engineering experience. The dress challenge was designed to demonstrate to students that STEAM isn’t confined to labs, robots, or computers; it also exists in product design and the fashion industry. The assignment invited students to step into the roles of engineers and designers, applying research, experimentation, and critical thinking to the creation of a wedding gown for Swift.

The Makerspace became electric as the girls brainstormed elements for the dress, researching and studying a wide range of designers and styles, a key aspect of the engineering design process. Over several weeks, the girls researched fashion trends, differences in cultural beauty standards, and explored the scope of wedding dress design.

Each third-grade class tackled a different element of her wedding look: one built a Victoria Beckham–style resin-and-fabric bodice, another crafted a Vera Wang–inspired tulle skirt, and the third designed whimsical accessories, such as her veil, shoes, and a backpack for her to carry her internet-famous cats.

Throughout the process, the students took on laser cutting, leather gilding, sewing, and embossing. A highlight of the project was using the new Glowforge laser cutter. The students created digital cat designs in Canva, a graphic design platform, and cut details from leather, acrylic, and paper for the veil and accompanying accessories.

While the final product sparkled with tulle and creativity, the learning behind it was rooted in exploring endless applications of design and engineering, making this project an exciting and impactful STEAM education experience for our students.

Anna Osias is an intern in the Communications Department. She is studying in Peace and Justice Studies and Sociology at Wellesley College.

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