The In Class education column will be Enableded regularly to highlight area school happenings.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- More than 100 students and staff at PS 56, Rossville, were recently doused in color for a color run fundraiser.

The Color-A-Thon, which took place earlier this month, was organized by the school's Parent Teacher Associaton (PTA).

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"We did a color run because I find that a lot of kids are not as physically active on the weekends," said gym teacher Julia Bourbeua. "We wanted to do something fun and for kids to spend some time with their family, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to do that."

View the colorful gallery above to see students at the event.

The hosts were PS 56 Principal Philip J. Carollo, Bourbeau and PTA co-presidents Barbara-Ann Ajami and Kim Sperrazza.

Volunteers threw colored powder on participants as they ran five laps around the perimeter of the school building. Students and their families listened to music, jumped in a bounce house and enjoyed complimentary water and snacks.

"It was a great family experience and very colorful!" said Carollo.

Donations will support the school's PTA, which works to provide school trips, assemblies and other events.

As part of our new education column, In Class, we are highlighting some of the activities Staten Island students are engaged in -- both inside and outside the classroom. Here's a look at some additional education-related happenings which recently occurred.

STUDENTS MAKE OWN BUSINESS

Eighth-grade students at Egbert Intermediate School (I.S. 2) have created their own bakery business as part of the class's entrepreneur program, Virtual Enterprise JV program.

The class created a bakery named Dough Re Mi, which creates gluten-free and nut-free products.

"From brownies to cupcakes, cakes and pies, the company goes to no end to ensure people with such allergies and sensitivities can still enjoy sweets and treats," said teacher Joseph Dunne-Jaffe.

The company received seed capital -- the funding to get a new business started -- via a loan and process orders. Students also created their own website and have to market the products.

The products include a variety of cupcake flavors, cake pops, cookies, pies, macarons and doughnuts.

Dunne-Jaffe said the class raised money to attend the Virtual Enterprises International trade show April 18, which allows students from around the world to exhibit products and tout marketing campaigns.

"Our company, Dough Re Mi, analyzed the market, and research showed few bakeries can accommodate those who are gluten-free and other allergies," Dunne-Jaffe said.

The class is broken into five departments: accounting and finance; administration; graphic design; marketing, and human resources.

https://twitter.com/Jdunnejaffe/status/986632133228810240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E986632133228810240&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.silive.com%2Fnews%2F2018%2F04%2Fps_56_color_run_is2_bakery.html

BRIDGES AND ROBOTS

Nearly 100 students in ninth through 11th grade designed and built bridges and programmed mini-robots during an engineering conference.

Engineering Tomorrow took place at Notre Dame Academy on April 13, and provided students with exposure to real-world engineering disciplines and the global challenges engineering solutions address.

Students from Notre Dame Academy, St. John Villa Academy, St. Joseph by-the-Sea, St. Joseph Hill Academy and Moore Catholic High School participated in the two breakout experiments -- bridge-building and robotics.

Engineers from General Electric and Global Infrastructure Partners guided students as they experimented with various bridge designs to test their strength, and programmed robots to move through a challenge course.

Engineering Tomorrow seeks to expose and attract high school students to the engineering field, with emphasis on females and minorities, by introducing them to real-world engineering projects that illustrate how the math and science they study is applied.

CALL FOR HOME-SCHOOLERS

We're asking parents who home-school to let us know what it's like to teach their kids, what challenges they face and the benefits that come from home-schooling. And we'd love to learn about what it's like to be a home-schooled student.

If you home-school and would be interested in sharing your experiences, send an email to aknudson@siadvance.com.

Do you have a story idea for the new In Class education column? Email education reporter Annalise Knudson at aknudson@siadvance.com.