This morning, Deputy Stacy Stimson from the Lapeer County Sheriff’s Department spoke to Jaime Benson’s class at Zemmer Middle School about the importance of solving problems — not just solving them, but doing it the right way. Stimson was at the school on behalf of the Deputy’s Association that recently donated eight handmade wooden brain teaser puzzles to encourage inquiry-based learning in the classroom.

The puzzles are made by a local craftsman using several types of wood. The directions on the base of the puzzles declare that any student “who can accomplish this puzzle in the minimum number of moves, can accomplish anything.”

The student put on their thinking caps immediately, attempting to solve the puzzles as teams.

“(The puzzles) encourage students to work collaboratively, think through cause-and-effect relationships, and employ creative problem solving,” Benson said. “We appreciate the generosity and involvement of our community in support of our students.”

Thank you to the Deputy’s Association for such a generous gift!