Standard 3

Standard 3 - School/program engages diverse STEAM community in order to support and sustain STEM programs and initiatives. 

 In the creation and collaborative planning to build our project-based inquiry and units of study, we look to where we can intentionally engage a diverse STEAM community to create partnership and learning opportunities for our students. Using the Georgia Standards of Excellence as our foundation, we create units of study and project-based inquiry that provides our students with as much exposure to STEAM careers and global issues. As we review and reflect on our units of study and PBLs, teachers and support members brainstorm possible community engagement opportunities and reach out to potential partnerships. This has been one of the neatest and greatest strengths of our STEAM initiative. 

Through our partnerships focused on water conservation and cleanliness, students have been able to learn and improve water quality at our school and community. With Small Fry To Go, we raise and release over 2,000 trout into the Chattahoochee River every year. In working with Sustainable Water Planning, our students have participated in water quality checks as well as focused on learning how to improve water erosion issues in our area. As we continue to strengthen our partnerships, we are constantly looking for new opportunities. 

In addition to partnerships focused on our project-based learning, we have strengthened our after school partnerships and opportunities. Through our partnership with STEAM-powered kids we provide after school opportunities for students to learn about robotics and improve their coding skills. The students have gone on to win the regional trophy of core values in 2019-2020. In the 2017-2018 school year, we went on to super regionals! We also are able to provide students STEAM inquiry through the on-site Girl Scouts. This partnership encourages young girls to use STEAM in their everyday discoveries! 

We have engaged with many new and unique partnerships and businesses that provide us with such great insight and help us stay connected to the latest and newest knowledge in STEAM fields. We recognize that STEAM careers are always changing and so it is crucial for us to engage with community partners and experts in the field of STEAM in order to provide high-quality learning opportunities to our students. This is an area that we believe can continue to strengthen our partnerships to span between multiple grades as many of our standard topics are expanded upon as students matriculate to the upper grades.