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Richmond Hill Middle School's STEAM program is well supported by the community and the school district itself. This school year we were able to open up two long-term projects of ours. First, our school has now opened up a new wing to our school that has a dedicated flex lab that allows students from four joining classrooms to use materials and the space as needed for whatever their project requires. Second, after three years of accumulated grant funding, we have completed our aquaponics greenhouse. While our more formal STEAM program has existed the last three years, Richmond Hill Middle School has been building the foundation for a STEM/STEAM program for years before now as STEAM competitions, Connections classes, professional learning for teachers, site visits at other certified schools or programs, and more interdisciplinary units were created and slowly rolled out from year to year.
As we've continued to develop our program, the appetite for it within the community has continued to increase. Each year we've had an increasing number of applications at all grade levels and all paths through the program, from co-taught to High School level classes. As a result, each year, starting in early October, the RHMS administration and STEAM Program Director meet to discuss and begin to form a picture of what amount and types of classes within the STEAM program they project to be able to accommodate for the following school year. Teachers in November submit intent forms on whether they plan to stay in the district or wish to continue in the STEAM program. From there, we form our teams, open up positions to begin accepting applications, or advertise spots within the program starting in early February to ensure the program is set to hit the ground running in its entirety before the current school year comes close to ending.
Sustainability: Through Expanded Access To The STEAM Program
Sustainability: Through Expanded Access To The STEAM Program
Following the RHMS's STEM Program Certification, we have placed a greater emphasis on arts and expanded access to the program and what it offers students. We've taken steps to increase the teachers involved, our investment in the program, the number of students, and the classes we offer.
Following the RHMS's STEM Program Certification, we have placed a greater emphasis on arts and expanded access to the program and what it offers students. We've taken steps to increase the teachers involved, our investment in the program, the number of students, and the classes we offer.
This school year, we have created our first-ever para-supported sections of the STEAM program in 6th grade due to the increased ESS students that have applied to our program. This was a major event for our school as many in the community had the impression from previous forms of the program from when the school opened in 2012 that STEM or STEAM was mainly for students taking enrichment classes or in the gifted program.
The numbers of students participating in the program by the end or each school year.
The rise in applications in rising 6th grade students from year to year.
Over the last four years, while our numbers of students have fluctuated from the start to the end of the year due to our transient population, we have expanded the number of students participating in the program from year to year.
This increase can also be seen in the number of applications we receive from rising 6th graders to our school. With the increased notoriety of the program from the experiences we offer and the involvement we have from the community, as of just a few days ago, the RHMS STEAM program received the most ever applications for the coming school year. Across all three grade levels, we received 508 total applications, with 370 of those coming from the 656 rising 6th grade. While we have yet to complete our application process for the coming year, that application rate means that 904 of the approximately 2,000 students at RHMS next year will have applied to be or is part of the STEAM program.
While pursuing STEAM program certification this year, we also have our eyes on the future of our program and its impact on our school. As a result, we have developed an outline that we are beginning to receive feedback from stakeholders in our school and in our community about transitioning Richmond Hill Middle School towards a whole school approach in the coming years and ending the application process.
Graphic of an early stages planning document for the STEAM program transitioning to whole school in the future.
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