Written by: Monika Spaulding
Salem Middle School received some long-awaited news today! The school is officially STEM certified. The Indiana Department of Education announced that Salem Middle School is one of 16 schools in the state, and the only one in Washington County on the list, to become STEM certified this round.
According to the press release, “Created in 2015, the STEM Certification program recognizes schools committed to teaching STEM disciplines beyond the classroom. STEM Certification exemplifies a highly innovative approach to education, employing a great deal of inquiry, project-based learning, community engagement, entrepreneurship, student-centered classrooms, integration into humanities and related arts and out-of-school STEM activities.
“For secondary schools in particular, earning STEM Certification requires heightened intention and coordination in terms of vision, scheduling and interdisciplinary collaboration. More than 100 schools statewide hold STEM Certification.”
The certification is good for five years.
“When we first applied, we were considered a developing STEM program school,” said STEM Director Jessica Morgan, who spearheaded this effort.
The IDOE gave feedback on areas that the school needed to improve to be considered STEM certified. Morgan said they got to work on those areas and the administration and whole school staff jumped on board to make it happen.
“We made videos of our program with the help of JD Wade-Swift,” said Morgan, adding that the videos helped the state committee see all the things SMS teachers are doing with STEM. “And we had a meeting with a STEM committee who asked a lot of questions.”
She and Superintendent Jill Mires found out in February that the school had passed certification but could not make the announcement until the state gave the announcement.
“It was a long, drawn out process and it was a hard secret to keep!” said Morgan.
The school was reviewed on five different categories, with each category having four to five elements that each required documentation including videos, photos, lesson plans, etc.
“All of this was used to show how STEM is used in every classroom consistently,” said Morgan. “We submitted copies of meeting notes, videos of trainings, copies of evaluations and how all of it fits into STEM. We submitted more than 250 pieces of evidence!”
Morgan said not only did the school staff help make it possible, but also a community board who met every nine weeks. This board included local business owners who gave input on how the students could help the community based on things they were learning through STEM.
“I am so very proud of the team who made this dream a reality,” said Mires. “There was great collaboration among the teachers across curricular areas. During the interview process, these teachers had a difficult time bragging about themselves. They really have gone above and beyond to bring STEM and STEAM initiatives to every classroom and have woven the foundational skills and standards into their daily routine.”
When asked why it is important for a school to become STEM certified, Morgan said, “We are making kids think outside the box. This is not traditional pencil and paper learning. We are teaching students how to solve real-world problems. Our teachers worked together to find problems in the school and community that they can help solve.”
After Morgan worked with teachers to integrate STEM into their curriculum, teachers would take their classes to the STEM lab and use the equipment: 3D printers, glow forge, robots, greenscreens and more, to create products and make their ideas come to life.
“This designation sets our school apart,” said Morgan. “We are teaching skills that students will be able to use in the real world.”
She said it was definitely a group effort and she thanked everyone who attended trainings, reworked curriculum maps and were willing to put the kids first.
“All the teachers have been amazing,” she said. “It was a group effort to get this certification.”