As Fountain Hills Summer School students pour into Lisa Cartagine’s Creation Station class, they quickly take a seat and start making something.

Whether it’s a drawing, a puzzle or a block structure, each student dives into something creative without instruction from their teacher.

Cartagine explained that this is how each of her summer school sessions begins. Class has not actually kicked off just yet, but she likes to keep her students busy at all times.

The tables that aren’t being used for the day’s project are covered with activities for students to freely play with, which is exactly what they do.

One of this year’s non-credit summer school courses, Cartagine said that Creation Station is all about getting her students to have fun flexing their imagination.

“Creation Station is arts and crafts,” she said.

“I give them instructions on how to start, but they create whatever they want out of it.”

The day’s project is art with Popsicle sticks. The students have rows of tape ready at their stations, where they will line up Popsicle sticks and then decorate them however they see fit.

Each day introduces students to a new project. In the past, they’ve used cups, yarn and beads to create unique weavings, made picture frames and more.

And Cartagine isn’t kidding when she says that she wants her students to use their creativity.

Each time a student asks her what they should draw on their Popsicle sticks, for instance, she encourages them to draw whatever they want; asking questions about their hobbies, pets and the like to help them settle on a subject.

“They’re using the creative side of their brains, it’s all hands-on and they’re getting to use all kinds of different materials,” Cartagine explained when asked what makes Creation Station a perfect fit for summer school.

Cartagine said she was asked to take over the class last year when the previous teacher was unable to attend. She said she had so much fun that she had to bring it back again for the 2015 session.

“And the kids are great,” she added.

“They come in excited every day, wanting to know what the project is. They go home with a finished project every single day.”

Eagerly anticipating this particular day’s project, student Megan Schultz joined her friends in free play while the rest of her classmates arrived for summer school.

So far, she said she’s really enjoyed all of the projects, especially the basket weaving.

“It was fun adding beads to it and decorating it,” she added.

“I like art.”

Her classmate, Ani Lahser, said she’s having a blast in this year’s Creation Station, too.

“I’ve been having fun doing everything so far,” she said.

“I took this class last year and really liked it, so I wanted to do it again.”

That’s exactly the kind of experiences Cartagine said she hopes her students are getting out of the class. And, with any luck, she hopes it’s a mindset they carry with them after summer school has concluded.

“I want them to be able to realize how creative they are,” she said.

“Then I want them to apply that to their school year.”