Experiences
A definitive strength of our system is the provision of STEAM education for each student at WES. We believe every student deserves the opportunity to learn in an encouraging, yet rigorous environment.
We provide multiple opportunities for our students to experience adult-world connections and extended day opportunities. Students travel each year on various field trips, both locally and around our state. Art shows, community festivals, and STEM expos are now a part of our annual school plan. Through the Journey's after-school program, students can participate in classes such as karate, yoga, pottery, gardening, and the visual arts. Instruction from a local master gardener occurs on a regular basis, as well as regularly scheduled art lessons presented by a local artist. Our high school student tutoring team provides tutoring for our elementary and middle school students at The Shirey House Internet Café, an extended classroom of our district high school. Additionally, students are encouraged to participate in the local theatre program and school Drama classes, which produce plays performed at the PastTime Theatre and Freedom Theatre. Students from our campuses travel by bus to the theatres to see their peers perform in these community theatre productions.
A focus on real-world and locally relevant issues, which encourage the use of skill sets that are key components of the STEAM instructional framework, is evidenced by many of the projects undertaken by all grade levels. These experiences, performed individually and collaboratively, advocate creativity and conceptual problem-solving adeptness. All students use a similar engineering process to find creative solutions to the problems presented to them in classroom STEAM challenges, in the innovation lessons, and through creative STEAM integration via various avenues. Each grade level collaborates to write STEAM challenge plans during collaboration time.
We work together vertically so students build on the knowledge they have and continue to grow. We also utilize the students' journals to save and share individual data. Shared experiences and units across grades and classrooms lead to our continued growth as well. Many of these projects are accomplished because of the strong relationship that exists between Winfield City Schools and local government as well as business and industry.
Students and teachers loved all of the STEM activities on
Rock Your School Day!
