(Students collaborate and work together to solve a STEM challenge)

STEM K12 4: School/program has established a shared vision for STEM and has leadership structures to support effective implementation.

Impact Narrative:

When Kelly Mill Elementary was just a blueprint of the newest school to join the Forsyth County School District, it was already heading in a unique direction. When administrators were slated to open the school, there was a clear vision to drive what would happen once the doors opened to teachers and students. Kelly Mill would be a place where the focus would be "Making the Atypical…Typical". This mission became the lens through which teachers were hired, decisions were made, and experiences for students were cultivated.

As Kelly Mill Elementary evolved and grew, it was evident that developing and fostering STEM literacy among our students and teachers would be a natural path to making sure we were a place where students could experience an "atypical" learning environment. School leaders began to explore what this could look like for our school. We grew our STEM culture through our five tenants (wisdom seekers, Colts who care, difference makers, world changers, and family). Our vision for our students never changed, but we began to define what this would look like in action. For STEM to be effective, we needed a shared vision and a vehicle to help make this a reality. The 4Cs - Critical thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, and Communication became the foundations of our work at Kelly Mill. These 21st-century skills empower students and teachers to discover solutions and work together to produce better outcomes than working alone.

Leadership in our building looks and feels different from the traditional structures often seen in schools. While there is a defined group of administrators at Kelly Mill, shared leadership is the responsibility of everyone in the building. Teachers are valued as leaders and feel empowered to take risks and try new things while growing as educators. Students at Kelly Mill participate in daily class meetings to help create a strong foundation of collaboration and trust. Because of shared leadership, much of the implementation of STEM is driven by students' questioning and curiosity through inquiry-based learning.

When Kelly Mill first opened its doors from day one, we had a science lab. It was a physical location that helped to serve as the ground floor to what daily learning looks like at our school today. The science lab has evolved over the years into the STEM lab and touches every member of our learning community. Teachers use it for resources to bring back to their classrooms or conduct lessons working with our STEM lab teacher. Students visit the lab to foster ingenuity, experiment, apply classroom knowledge and work collaboratively. The impact of the STEM lab led teachers to develop other resources needed to further encourage STEM learning in our building. Today, Kelly Mill has an abundant STEM closet housing an impressive assortment of items for students and teachers to use while moving through the design process of learning. The STEM closet became a catalyst that drove grant writing through our PTO (parent-teacher organization) to fund our Math closet. This space is filled with manipulatives and tools. Teachers and students utilize the contents daily to encourage hands-on learning and investigation of mathematical concepts. These are just a few examples of how leadership vision and support play an essential role in day-to-day STEM learning and allow every teacher access to tools needed for effective implementation.

The shared vision for STEM at Kelly Mill continues and leads to new and exciting opportunities for students. Our school opened its doors to be difference makers and world changers while feeling supported and nurtured by everyone who calls Kelly Mill home.

Initiatives/Actions/Artifacts:

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