STEM Indicator ST1.11

Students are supported in their STEM learning through adult-world connections and extended day opportunities.

Self-Assessment Rating: 3

Most STEM students participate in an age-appropriate formal program of mentorship, apprenticeship, internships, research, or job shadowing with researchers, business/industry, or other community partners. There are multiple extended day opportunities to engage students in STEM learning.

ST1.11 Narrative

What were the areas of strength noted in the Self Assessment?

Christian Academy creates and maintains many adult-world connections accessible to all students. After school, all students can choose to be involved in various opportunities that relate to STEM. Extended day opportunities include First Lego League (FLL) Robotics, Art Club, Chess Club, Chick-fil-A Leadership, STEM Camp offered for a week each summer, and grade specific overnight field experiences.

The STEM Camp is open to any 3rd through 8th grader, whether they attend Christian Academy or not. For the past two years, the school has partnered with two local aviation business, the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics and Myrtle Beach Academy of Aviation, to provide field experiences and hands-on learning for students by adults.

The addition of FLL Robotics, available to all 4th-8th graders after school, offer opportunities for the students to connect to adults after school hours. The team has visited The Grand Strand Water Sewer Authority plant to understand the process involved in the water cycle. The CFO of this company, a female engineer, was a mentor who guided the team to find a problem and create a solution to the water cycle. In a different real-world challenge about space travel, the students participated in video chats with two different female bioengineers, which led to their project being presented to an experienced NASA astronaut in Texas. In a third challenge about problems in their community, students received information and guidance from the Environmental Education Coordinator at Coastal Carolina University and an engineer from the City of Myrtle Beach. These two STEM community leaders also led the students in a school-specific service project by marking storm drains on our school campus to remind people not to dispose of anything detrimental to the environment in storm drains.

Another extended day opportunity offered at the beginning of each school year is the middle school retreat. Classes all together take a one night off-campus trip to Camp Pinehill in Bennettsville, South Carolina. While there, the students complete several team building and “thinking-out-of-the box” activities as they get to know each other. There are other overnight field trips where STEM learning takes place. The 5th graders take a one night trip to Charleston, South Carolina in which they take part in budgeting for the trip. Students participate in a scavenger hunt in downtown Charleston, a visit to The Hunley, which incorporates math, science, history, engineering, and technology. The 6th grade participates in a three day experience with the Barrier Island Educational Program at Camp St. Christopher, where hands-on learning is the main focus. Problem solving through a simulated activity involving economic impacts and environmental issues are presented, and working together on tasks like cleaning their cabin, serving meals and completing team games or challenges are also part of the experience. The 7th graders explore and adventure on a four day trip to Florida each winter. They swim with the manatee, spend the night at Sea World as guests of their educational program where they are challenged to decide how they can make a positive global impact and see science right in front of their eyes at Blue Man Group. The 8th graders take a four day trip to Washington DC. The past and current problems faced by our country are seen in real and impactful ways. The 10th and 11th graders go on a mission trip to Dominican Republic and Costa Rica. Any international mission trip innately involves various types of STEM learning. Students are charged with planning activities or events where needs of the local people exist and are creatively addressed in real world and culturally-relevant circumstances. Students must meet to gather the needed supplies and resources, determine the actions required, and be able to adjust and or reevaluate when needed.

With many extended-day opportunities available, there are also several teacher-planned STEM standards-based events that occur during the school day. For example, students attend STEM related field trips including, but not limited to, STEM in ACTION at the Fun Warehouse for 1st grade; a guided tour of the Boeing Plant in Charleston for 5th graders; navigating an Escape Room challenge for 8-10th graders, in which a team of players cooperatively discover clues, solve puzzles, and accomplish tasks in one or more rooms in order to progress and accomplish a specific goal in a limited amount of time. Further, Putt-putt and billiards is a game-based math application and experience for high school Geometry students which allows for hands-on real-world activity. Also, Physics Day, a gathering of high school students from all over the state in Columbia, allows students to experience real-world science applications of learning before, during and after the trip.

What actions are being implemented to sustain the areas of strength?

Christian Academy’s school leadership and faculty commit to continue to offer real-world and extended day opportunities for all learners in the K-12 program, including funding for these programs.

What were areas in need of improvement? What plans are being made to improve the area of need?

At this time we have had three students participate in job shadowing. One of the outcomes to this September’s STEM Advisory Council was to begin more formalized plans to meet the need for students to opportunities to job shadow. Many businesses offered their workplace for job shadowing. We recognize this need as well. Christian Academy has a program with documentation created for job shadowing in paper and as part of the ongoing plan for improvement. The implementation at this time is hindered by available staff to oversee the program and students. We are working on possible solutions for these barriers with faculty, the STEM advisory council and school leadership.

Finally, as we plan to sustain the offerings listed, and as a school that participates in over 26 school-led activities plus numerous athletic competition teams, parents, and students have to choose and are limited in their participation of after-school offerings simply due to time constraints. This also leads to limited and available staff to sponsor these events or additional activities, and parents are important partners in this area. The school needs to research interest and available staff and parent volunteers for offering a STEM after school activity in lower (K-3) and higher grades (9-12) and/or other STEM-related activities across all grades, including finding new ways to fund additional faculty salaries and programs.

Artifacts

1.11 a) STEM Learning through Adult-World Connections