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STANDARD 4
STANDARD 4
Leaders engage a diverse network of community partners in order to support and sustain STEM programs and initiatives.
A 6th grade student has a virtual reality experience provided by MSU at our Career Expo
Annunciation Catholic School is blessed to have a wide variety of local businesses, non-profits, institutions of higher learning, the military, government agencies, and other experts to support STREAM learning. We coordinate regularly with local schools and universities in STEM education such as the Mississippi School for Science and Mathematics (MSMS), Mississippi State University (MSU), University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), and the Mississippi University for Women (MUW). We also work with government agencies such as NASA, the MS Natural Conservation Resources Service, and our local police and fire departments.
ACS also participates annually in STEM events and competitions hosted by MSMS, Mississippi Robotics, and First Lego League.
In addition, ACS is supported by our local military community stationed at Columbus Air Force Base. Military members often come to the school as guest speakers and also invite students on base to witness STEM in action, such as the STEM Expo during their Wings over Columbus Airshow event.
MSMS High School students lead a math game during Superhero STREAM Day
3rd graders learn about local animals at a MS Natural Resources Conservation Service event
An 8th grader learns about construction tools at the annual FORGE expo
Malone Electric helps the Robotics Team learn about electrical circuits
A 7th grader performs an engineering challenge at the MSMS GEMS event
Partners in Education
Partners in Education
Annunciation attends events at MSMS annually, such as the Mathstars Competition and GEMS (Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science). MSMS has also provided professional development for our teachers in math education as well as guided math activities for our STREAM Days.
The MSU Bagley School of Engineering also has provided opportunities for field trips, professional development for our teachers in science, as well as supplied resources for science education and students' science fair projects.
We have also hosted numerous guest speakers from MSU in a variety of fields, such as science education, wildlife and fisheries, geology, the Vet School, and engineering.
Our Garden Community
Our Garden Community
Our school garden was started by a local boy scout who built our first garden as his Eagle Scout project. The garden was expanded a few years later with the help with MUW's Passport to Wellness initiative that provided our garden program with two $5,000 grants and the MSU Extension Service that provided expertise. Additional garden materials and volunteer hours were donated by Annunciation Catholic Church parishioners and parents. The garden continues to grow every year with the continued help of our students, parents, parishioners and alumni.
5th graders excited about their bountiful sweet potato harvest
6th graders build a spaghetti tower at the Columbus Air Force Base STEM Expo
Our Military Community
Our Military Community
The military community has been generous with their time and knowledge in many STEM fields for our school. In gratitude, we support our military community as a Military Star School and we celebrate our military families and guests during our annual In Our Nation event during Catholic Schools Week. We are also an Aerospace Education Member of Civil Air Patrol, which provides lesson materials and STEM kits.
Our Robotics Community
Our Robotics Community
Mississippi Robotics, a non-profit organization that promotes STEM education in Mississippi, has been a big supporter of our robotics program. Besides participating in competitions, ACS has attended both student and teacher STEM workshops hosted by Mississippi Robotics. Mississippi Robotics has also provided lesson materials and STEM resources. ACS also participates in the Mississippi First Lego League Robotics competition and uses First Lego League lesson materials in its Robotics education programs.
The primary robot used in STREAM lessons is the Sphero Bolt. The coding interface, practice modules, lessons and technical support are supplied by the Sphero Edu App. Also, during last year's robotics season, our robotics team was able to meet virtually with a Sphero engineer to discuss how the robot operates and ask questions about its capabilities and limitations.
The elementary robotics team at a STEM workshop, sponsored by Mississippi Robotics
Guest Speakers
Members of our community come throughout the school year to educate our students about a variety of STREAM topics.
A nurse from Baptist Hospital talks about her job at the Career Expo
An Agricultural Engineer from MSU speaks to 7th graders about satellites and their data
A Mammoet engineer instructs students on how to use special equipment
4 County Electric provides a demo on electricity for 3rd grade
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