Executive Summary

Cold Spring School Overview

Cold Spring School is a K-8 STEM and environmental science school located in Indianapolis, Indiana. We are a choice program partnering with Indianapolis Public Schools as an innovation school. We sit on 39 acres of land on the north end of Marian University’s campus and serve as a laboratory school for Marian University. Our 39 acres include woods, a stream, hiking trails, biking trails, and multiple outdoor learning spaces, as well as goats and chickens that students care for—all utilized as part of our environmental science curriculum. 

As an innovation school, Cold Spring is governed by Cold Spring School, Inc., a nonprofit, 501c3 organization, and is overseen by a school board made up of community volunteers that oversee school operations. Our innovation status within IPS allows our students to get all of the perks and benefits that any IPS student would receive, while allowing our staff to be employed by Cold Spring School, Inc. This allows Cold Spring School autonomy to make the best decisions for our students, families, and staff and keep a central focus on STEM and environmental science. 

In 2017, Cold Spring elected to be the first IPS school to complete the process to become an innovation school. We were eager for greater autonomy and freedom to operate as a separate organization from IPS as we wanted to add a STEM focus to our school’s curriculum. We utilized the IDOE STEM certification rubric at that time to help establish and build the STEM program at Cold Spring. In 2019, we were honored to be recognized as an IDOE STEM Certified School.

Cold Spring STEM Program Overview

Over the last five years, we have continually looked for ways to expand, grow, and improve both STEM programming and connection to environmental sciences. The vision and purpose of our work with students has become clear: to inspire a passion for STEM and the environment. That vision has led to an award-winning robotics program, PLTW and computer science programming, teaching a design thinking process to students to develop them into critical thinkers, and outstanding extra-curricular offerings that include STEM Camp and Junior Robotics. It’s also led us to participate in opportunities like International Day of the Girl, CS for Good, and much more. 

Cold Spring School has a strong commitment to continuous improvement, which our staff showcases by their regular participation in professional development opportunities. One hundred percent of our elementary teachers are PLTW-certified educators and teach PLTW to their homeroom students. Because 100% of our students interact with PLTW each year and 100% of our staff team is PLTW-certified, we were recognized as a PLTW School of Distinction for both the Launch and Gateway programs during the 21-22 school year. We were one of  65 schools in Indiana to be a Launch School of Distinction and one of only 14 schools in Indiana to be a Gateway School of Distinction that year. As you will see in the evidence provided with this application, this is only a small portion of the extensive STEM professional development provided to our staff each year. 

We are proud to have continued to serve additional students and grade levels in the five years after our initial STEM certification. Since the end of the 2017-2018 school year, Cold Spring has seen a 36% increase in our student body, and we have expanded from serving students in grades kindergarten through 6th, to now serving students all the way through 8th grade. The expansion and creation of our middle school program allowed all students to have a dedicated math, science, ELA, and social studies teacher, as well as a Project Based Learning class. This class is focused on PBL principles and is taught as a core class, separate from the elective offerings available to students. Over the last three years, we’ve also expanded our STEM elective offerings so that middle school students have access to more than nine STEM elective courses each year.

While we’re proud of every piece of our STEM programming at Cold Spring, the “crown jewel” would have to be our competitive robotics program. Spots on our team were so highly sought after, that we had to increase the number of teams we field to allow for more participation from our student body. We now have seven teams competing in both middle school and elementary VEX IQ Robotics, and they now include more than 20% of our student body in 4th through 8th grade. 

Our teams are also very diverse, in terms of gender and race. Sixty-nine percent of our team are minority culture students (approximately 34% African American and 23% Hispanic). In addition, 54% of our teams are male and 46% are female. Needless to say, when a Cold Spring team competes at robotics competitions, whether locally or at the Indiana state tournament, our team does not look like the teams we are competing against. 

We believe our robotics teams are a proof point for what’s possible in urban education because our students are not just competing with their peers—they are outperforming them. For the last six years, Cold Spring’s robotics team has qualified for the VEX Robotics World Championships, taking home five VEX World trophies in the process. During the 20-21 school year, Cold Spring’s middle school team made it to the final round of the VEX World Robotics Championships, finishing as one of the top 16 teams in the world and VEX World Division Champions—one of only four teams in the world to hold the distinction that year. 

We believe our success in robotics begins in the classroom with our curriculum, instruction, and perhaps most importantly, staff. At Cold Spring, we start with a basic belief that all teachers are STEM teachers. At the very beginning of our interview process, we share a Cold Spring Philosophy and Beliefs document that outlines our core beliefs and commitments to students, families, and colleagues. The Cold Spring Philosophy focuses on helping students develop a natural curiosity in STEM and a focus on global citizenship and stewardship of the environment.  We focus on 21st-century skills, literacy, numeracy, design thinking, global thinking, and responsible decision-making. 

The Cold Spring Beliefs document lists ten non-negotiable commitments that serve as the foundation of our school culture. These core beliefs range from a commitment to a “well-rounded education…that encompasses a strong emphasis in STEM as it pervades in all aspects of life,” to our belief “in a culturally responsive approach to education that promotes equity as well as equality in all aspects of our work.” The Philosophy and Beliefs documents set a foundational expectation for staff (and any potential staff member) to value what Cold Spring aims to accomplish for students and families. 

While we take a lot of pride in our school community and all our students have accomplished, we also have a strong desire to see what’s next, continue to raise the bar for students, and continue to provide an innovative education. We are looking for new ways to engage students and new resources that will increase the opportunities available to our students. Just last year, we invested in twenty-eight zSpace computers—state-of-the-art augmented reality and virtual reality computer devices. We’ve only scratched the surface of how to use resources like this, but want to prepare students for a future where they may engage with models in a blended learning world. 

As you review our application, we hope that you are as inspired by the work of our students and families as we are! We are eager to continue learning from the community of educators who review our materials and offer suggestions for improvement. Cold Spring School is passionate about STEM and the environment and we would be honored to be an Indiana STEM Certified School once again.