Lake Hills STEM Magnet Elementary School’s Executive Summary
Lake Hills STEM Magnet Elementary is an urban elementary school within the Michigan City Area School Corporation. The building opened in 2009 as a PK-5 elementary building. In 2010, the new superintendent asked us to become a magnet school and to determine our focus. The staff chose STEM and worked on developing an integrated curriculum using the state standards as the foundation. Purdue North Central professors and staff provided ideas and support in developing our STEM curriculum and STEM labs.
In the fall of 2011, Lake Hills opened as a PK-5 STEM Magnet School. Our staff was inducted into the 8th annual “Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana” as change makers in the field of education and for our work in developing one of the first STEM schools in northern Indiana. In 2013-14 Lake Hills was selected as one of the 44 elementary schools in the nation to pilot Project Lead the Way (PLTW)
When the IDOE announced that schools could apply to become STEM certified, our staff decided to fill out the application to see how we were doing with creating our STEM program at Lake Hills. Lake Hills was one of nine schools selected in 2015 by the Indiana Department of Education to be designated as an Indiana STEM certified school, which affirmed we were on the right path.
Currently, Lake Hills STEM Magnet School is a K-6 elementary school serving approximately 480 students. Our school community is diverse with 49% black, 24% white, 16% multi-racial, 10% Hispanic, and 1% Asian. 83% of the student population qualifies for free or reduced lunch and 21% of the population receives special education services. Additionally, 2% of the student population is designated as English Language Learners.
Since becoming STEM certified, Lake Hills is one of fifteen schools (the only Indiana elementary school) that was selected to participate in the Museum of Science and Industry’s Science Leadership Initiative. Through this four year partnership, Lake Hills’ staff has received professional development, and students participate in standards-based learning labs at the museum. The MSI leadership team has helped us look critically at our STEM program, while working to improve upon 8 essential elements. Currently, museum educators are providing us with professional development in the area of implementing a STEM instructional approach, in the context of solving a real-world problem. This will strengthen what we have learned about problem-based learning during our work with PLTW.
Our community has become stakeholders in helping to educate our K-6 students. Speakers provide on-site field experiences to enrich and extend students’ learning on the topic being studied. Study trips to places in the community provide students with hands-on experiences of observing STEM careers in the real-world. Extended learning opportunities, held during breakfast, lunch and after school, are staffed by community volunteers. Over a hundred community partners share their time and talents at Lake Hills which allows for unique grade-level specific programs and extended learning opportunities.
Representatives from our staff presented at the 2020 IN STEM Conference at Purdue on the topic, “Community Partners Boost Career Awareness” to showcase how we have created and sustained STEM related business partnerships to address goal 3 in the IN STEM strategic plan. Five community partners, who have worked with us for several years to develop our STEM program, wrote letters of support when they found out we were applying for STEM recertification. Copies of these letters can be found in 4.1 evidence.
Grade-level teams have developed integrated STEM curriculum maps for each trimester. Evidence-based core curriculum such as Project Lead the Way, Pearson Science, Engineering is Elementary, Code.org and others are incorporated into the curriculum maps. Programs have been carefully analyzed to determine which grade-level standards are covered and which are missing. Curriculum maps are always a work in progress to make sure the state standards, required assessments, and district and state initiatives are met. General Education and Student Support Teachers work collaboratively to provide equitable STEM curriculum for all students. Instruction is differentiated to support learners and Depth of Knowledge questioning techniques are used by teachers to promote a deeper understanding of the curriculum.
STEM integration is evident as you walk into classrooms at Lake Hills. Students are engaged in STEM activities that help prepare them for the world outside of the classroom setting. Teachers and staff work hard to prepare our learners to be productive, responsible, and excited about learning every day.
Students use a variety of technologies to enhance their learning in investigations and problem solving. During PLTW instruction students use iPads and iPad applications to solve authentic problems, work with others to find real solutions, and use communication skills to present their products. Students use tools such as Ozobots, Spheros, Fit Bits, Raspberry Pi’s, Scratch, etc. to learn about computer science.
Lake Hills is within walking distance to Lake Michigan which provides us with a unique place-based outdoor learning environment. Classes walk to the lakefront to work with community experts on topics such as water quality, pollution, climate change, etc. On-site, students have created gardens, planted trees, and learned about native plants with experts from Master Gardeners, Purdue Extension Service, and others. The building trades classes from the AK Smith Technical Career Center are constructing an Outdoor STEM Learning Lab under the watchful eyes of our students. The materials to build the lab were donated by local businesses and/or local organizations provided funds to supplement the items needed. Community experts are helping the staff develop curriculum to be used in this outdoor lab. Our goal is to help students explore, discover, and investigate their environment and to encourage them to make wise choices about the natural world.
Family involvement has increased dramatically with volunteers working in the classrooms, as well as attendance at school-wide and grade-level events. STEM Celebrations of Learning which are held each trimester are enjoyed by the whole family. At home STEM projects have encouraged the whole family to become problem-solvers. Caregivers who accompany their children on study trips have become aware of places in the community they can return to and take their entire family for additional learning opportunities.
Lake Hills' instructional design is rooted in the MCAS district priorities and perspectives—high quality data-driven instruction, career preparation, viable program choices, focusing on the achievement gap. The mission of Lake Hills STEM Magnet School is to develop empowered, productive citizens who are life-long learners through unique and integrated STEM learning experiences. The vision of Lake Hill STEM Elementary school is to provide students with innovative tools and modern technology to promote the highest level of academic achievement through STEM experiences to generate student success today and in tomorrow's world.
We have received some small grants, Donors Choose, local community grants, and donations which helps support our programming. In 2018, Lake Hills STEM Magnet School received a “Shining Light Award” from the Chamber of Commerce to recognize our progress in developing a STEM program. We also received a STEM Star award in which we were given a 3-D printer and professional development. Our staff works hard despite having little funding available to support our STEM program, so receiving these kinds of awards helps everyone continue working on creating the best STEM school we can for our students at Lake Hills STEM Magnet School.