METUCHEN — “God chooses you for this task and that’s something to celebrate,” said Bishop James F. Checchio to the 15 prospective deacons seated before him at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi Feb. 20.

“It’s incredible what you can accomplish in a couple months.” These words from Megan Kibalo, a junior at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Edison, encapsulate the fervor that pervades the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) Learning Lab, also known as the Makerspace, as students and faculty prepare for the third annual Maker Faire.

METUCHEN — The robotics program at Saint Joseph High School began in 2005 with a handful of students and has grown into one of the largest organizations on campus, averaging 60 to 70 student participants each year.

So much has changed during the pandemic; then again, so much has not.