CAT Day: A Hands-On Look at Innovation and Imagination
Over the years I have written multiple posts here about many of the different offerings of CAT Day. We had a new offering for our students this year and I have asked Zack Barrows to tell us about. You can learn more below.
Brainerd Baptist School CAT Day: A Hands-On Look at Innovation and Imagination
At Brainerd Baptist School, we believe that some of the most powerful learning happens when students step outside the traditional classroom and into real-world experiences. That’s exactly the goal of our CAT Day, which we do annually for 5th-grade students. This day stands for Curiosity, Adventure, and Thought.
CAT Days were designed to spark curiosity and inspire students by exposing them to careers, technologies, and ideas they might not encounter in their everyday routines. Whether it's exploring the arts, diving into STEM fields, or visiting local businesses, each CAT Day gives students a chance to imagine new possibilities and stretch their creativity.
One of this year’s new CAT Day offerings was called Innovative Technology, where a group of our students had the unique opportunity to visit Erlanger Hospital’s Surgery Department and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Esports program. This wasn’t just a tour, it was a front-row, hands-on experience with cutting-edge medical robotics and a behind-the-scenes look at how technology is shaping the future of education and entertainment.
In the morning, students were welcomed by Ashley Barrows, General Surgery Coordinator and our host for the day. After a brief orientation, they suited up in scrubs and stepped into the operating room. There, they met a team of experts: Amanda Gray, Robotic Surgery Manager; Valerie Murray, Robotic Coordinator; and Mary Catherine Krickbaum, an Intuitive representative who trains surgeons on the da Vinci 5 robotic surgery system.
The team introduced students to the robot, walked them through its assembly, and explained how it’s used in various surgeries. Then came the highlight: students got a chance to sit in the surgeon’s chair and try their hand at maneuvering the robot using a training mannequin. They were engaged, enthusiastic, and up for the challenge.
Throughout the visit, students asked thoughtful questions and showed genuine curiosity about how technology and medicine work together to improve patient care. The Erlanger staff did an outstanding job breaking down complex concepts and helping students see the incredible precision and possibilities that robotic-assisted surgery provides. For many of our students, this experience sparked new interests, some imagining themselves in medical careers, others intrigued by the engineering behind the technology.
The morning at Erlanger truly captured the heart of CAT Day—opening eyes to new ideas, careers, and innovations in a way that textbooks alone never could.
That afternoon, the students continued their exploration of innovation by heading to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where they visited the school’s Esports department. Led by Tony Parsley, Associate Vice Chancellor of IT and Esports Program Director, students learned the basics of Esports, how it operates, and how it has become a growing tool for student recruitment, not just for gamers, but for students with a variety of interests and skills.
At its core, CAT Day is about helping students see all the amazing things the world has to offer, and giving them opportunities to do things they wouldn’t normally experience in a school day. Whether exploring robotics, medicine, gaming, or technology, we want to fuel their creativity, spark meaningful thought, and encourage adventurous learning.
A special thank you to Ashley Barrows, Amanda Gray, Valerie Murray, Mary Catherine Krickbaum, and the entire team at Erlanger for making this an unforgettable experience. And thank you to Tony Parsley for opening the door to the world of Esports at UTC.
We’re excited to continue CAT Days at Brainerd Baptist School, where curiosity, adventure, and thought aren’t just ideas, they’re part of how we learn which is why we often say Learning is fun at BBS.