The Medora community takes great pride in their local school, as it is the heart of the small town. The culture of Medora Elementary School could best be described as a family. Staff, students and community members work together to provide the best possible education for the children of the community. Decision-making and implementation of the school’s STEM plan is a group effort. The STEM Leadership consists of administrators, classroom teachers and community partners. The Medora Elementary STEM Plan reflects this in its vision, “Our vision is to create a community of learners who think critically, solve problems, and work together to be productive and engaged citizens.”

All MES classroom teachers have common work time each day from 12:35 pm to 1:40 pm. Once a week, teachers and administration meet to plan integrated STEM learning opportunities and to plan STEM events. Collaboration time is also held each Tuesday afterschool for an hour with administrators and elementary staff. Collaboration time focuses on a variety of topics, including STEM.

MES teachers have the autonomy to arrange their instructional spaces as they feel is needed. Within our classrooms, tables and desks are situated in clusters to allow for collaboration among students and for group activities. Each teacher also has access to the Medora Makerspace to allow for more space in which to conduct collaborative activities.

Parent surveys were done at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year to gather feedback from parents/guardians regarding the STEM program at MES. Seventy two percent of parents indicated that they give the MES STEM program a grade of A. Analysis of the data also indicated that STEM Family Nights needed to be better publicized to increase attendance as many parents indicated they were not aware of when they took place. A Career Interest Inventory was completed for students in grades 4-6. Results from the survey will help determine what types of presenters are invited to the STEM Career Fair in the spring.

Providing instructional support for MES staff in the implementation of STEM instructional strategies has been a major priority for administration. All classroom teachers had the opportunity to visit a STEM school, Brooklynn Elementary in the fall of 2018. Teachers meet monthly with the STEM Coordinator, and anytime needed on a more informal basis, to discuss how STEM is going in their classroom and answer any questions or issues they are having. A STEM walkthrough form is also used by administrators to provide critical feedback to teachers. This feedback is used as an opportunity for coaching when the STEM Coordinator meets with each classroom teacher.

At MES, we believe that STEM is so important, all students should have access to STEM opportunities. One hundred percent of students at MES participate in integrated STEM instruction in their classroom and STEMbrary special. Students from all backgrounds and circumstances also have the options of joining after school programming related to STEM, such as STEM Club, Robotics Club, Girls Who Code, and the Gardening Club.