Where STEM is the bridge between learning and life; Where we Lead, Learn, & Level Up!

Welcome to William R. Davie MIDDLE STEM Academy

The Davie Story: From Improvement to Transformation

When the 2025–2026 school year began, William R. Davie Middle STEM Academy was at an important crossroads.

For years, the school had faced academic challenges, low proficiency, accountability concerns, and the kinds of barriers that can slowly shape how a school is viewed by others—and sometimes how a school begins to view itself. Davie had been identified as low-performing and as a CSI school, and there was a clear need to strengthen academics, student culture, teacher support, and opportunities for students.

But those labels were never going to define our future.

When a new chapter began in July 2025, the focus was simple: build a stronger school, create more opportunities for students, and make STEM part of the everyday learning experience at Davie—not just something students encountered in one class or during a special event.

From the beginning, we believed that where a student lives should never determine what they have access to, what they are exposed to, or what they can become.

That belief became the foundation of our work.

Building a Clear Vision for STEM

One of the first things we needed to do was clearly define what STEM would mean at Davie.

We did not want STEM to be limited to robotics, science labs, or technology. We wanted it to become a way students think, learn, solve problems, and make connections to the real world.

At Davie, STEM means:

Solve authentic problems.
Think critically and creatively.
Engineer innovative solutions.
Make something meaningful.

Our goal is to help students see that STEM is not simply a subject. It is a way of using what they learn to understand problems, create solutions, communicate ideas, work with others, and make an impact.

That vision is reflected in our commitment to becoming a bold and brilliant STEM academy where students are prepared to solve real-world problems with confidence, creativity, and compassion.

Strengthening Teaching and Learning

We also knew that meaningful STEM learning could not happen without strong academic foundations.

During the 2025–2026 school year, Davie put several schoolwide instructional systems in place, including Circuit 6, daily intervention, small-group instruction, weekly data cycles, PLCs, frequent coaching and feedback, standards-aligned lesson planning, and student data tracking. At the same time, teachers began intentionally incorporating engineering design challenges, inquiry-based learning, hands-on experiences, and STEM connections across content areas.

The goal was never to simply add more programs.

The goal was to improve the quality of everyday instruction.

Teachers were encouraged to make their thinking visible, create opportunities for student discourse, use small groups strategically, engage students in problem-solving, and provide experiences that required students to explain, create, revise, and apply their learning.

As our work has grown, those practices have become part of how we monitor instruction and support teacher development across the school.

Expanding What Students Can See and Experience

One of the most important parts of our transformation has been expanding access beyond the classroom.

We recognized early that many of our students had limited opportunities to visit universities, interact with STEM professionals, explore research environments, experience healthcare or engineering careers, or see how the skills they learn in school are used in the real world.

So we began intentionally building those opportunities.

Through partnerships and field experiences, Davie students have connected with East Carolina University, ECU Brody School of Medicine, ECU Coastal Studies Institute, NC State University MSEN, Google BetaBox, The Poe Center, the Center for Energy Education, STEM East, Morehead Planetarium, Rocket Drones, Reser’s Fine Foods/Don Pancho, Dominion Energy, and other partners.

These partnerships are not simply about taking field trips.

They are about helping students imagine possibilities.

A student may walk into a university laboratory and begin to picture themselves as a scientist. Another may meet a physician, engineer, drone operator, researcher, or business professional and suddenly realize that a career they had never considered is possible.

That is what expanding access means to us.

Our long-term goal is for every Davie student to have meaningful exposure to higher education, STEM professionals, engineering and technology, science and healthcare, career pathways, and opportunities to present and lead.

Growing Through Collaboration

The transformation of Davie has never been the work of one person.

It has required teachers, school leaders, students, families, community members, university partners, businesses, and district support working together.

We believe that STEM cannot belong to one teacher, one department, or one elective. It has to be visible in the school’s vision, instruction, professional learning, scheduling, budgeting, student opportunities, partnerships, and family engagement.

Professional learning has been a major part of that work. Teachers have had opportunities to receive coaching, collaborate with colleagues, strengthen instructional practices, and reflect on how those practices are impacting students.

We also view our community partners as co-educators. They help bring the real world into the classroom through career talks, mentoring, authentic problems, field experiences, equipment, expertise, and opportunities students may not otherwise have.

At Davie, we believe a partnership should do more than look good on paper. It should create real value for students and teachers.

Seeing the Results

The work began to show measurable results during the 2025–2026 school year.

Davie posted its strongest academic performance in more than a decade. Overall achievement increased to 29.7%, reading reached 29.6%, mathematics increased to 22.5%, and eighth-grade science reached 51.2%. The school also recorded a positive EVAAS growth score of 1.19 and improved its School Performance Grade from an F to a D.

Those numbers matter, but they tell only part of the story.

The 2026 North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Survey also showed positive changes in school climate. More than 94% of staff agreed that Davie is a good place to work and learn, and teachers reported strong levels of trust, instructional support, coaching, and leadership.

Student conduct improved as well. The percentage of teachers reporting that students follow school behavior expectations increased significantly, while teachers also reported strong support from school leadership in maintaining discipline and order.

Together, these improvements have created stronger conditions for learning, collaboration, creativity, and innovation.

Moving From STEM Activities to a STEM Culture

As we entered the 2026–2027 school year, our work shifted from building momentum to building sustainability.

Our focus is now on ensuring that STEM is not occasional, but consistent.

That means continuing to strengthen literacy and numeracy, improving the quality of instruction, expanding career-connected learning, developing teachers and leaders, growing partnerships, and using evidence to improve our work over time.

Our Friday Flex structure also creates additional time for intervention, enrichment, and clubs, giving students more opportunities to receive academic support while also exploring interests beyond the traditional classroom.

We are also building more opportunities for students, families, teachers, businesses, universities, and community partners to help shape the direction of our STEM work through shared leadership and advisory structures.

Our Journey Toward NC STEM School of Distinction

Our pursuit of recognition as a North Carolina STEM School of Distinction is important, but the recognition itself is not the real goal.

The real goal is becoming the kind of school the distinction represents.

We want STEM to be visible in our classrooms, our student experiences, our professional learning, our partnerships, our leadership, and our culture.

We want students to leave Davie knowing how to think, communicate, collaborate, create, solve problems, and connect what they learn in school to the world around them.

We will continue to review our progress, collect evidence, listen to stakeholders, celebrate what is working, and improve where necessary.

The Rise of Davie Continues

The Davie story is still being written.

We are proud of how far we have come, but we are even more excited about where we are going.

Today, William R. Davie Middle STEM Academy is becoming a place where strong academics and STEM innovation work together, where students are exposed to opportunities beyond their immediate surroundings, where teachers continue to grow and collaborate, and where community partners help bring learning to life.

Most importantly, we are building a school where students are encouraged to believe that their future can be bigger than what they have seen before.

At Davie, we challenge every Viking to:

Solve. Think. Engineer. Make.

We remain committed to:

Expanding Access. Creating Opportunity. Inspiring Excellence.

And every day, we continue to:

Lead. Learn. Level Up.

 WE'RE BUSY SOLVING. THINKING. ENGINEERING. MAKING.