A CES student tests water samples taken out of nearby Buffalo Creek.
Carrollton City Schools places a high priority on STEM education for a number of reasons. It fosters critical thinking. It encourages creativity. It promotes hands-on learning. It demonstrates how multiple disciplines work together. But if that’s not enough to convince a naysayer of its importance, maybe this will:
Research shows STEM jobs are expected to grow 30 percent faster than the overall employment growth in the years to come. However, “the nation will have trouble filling those positions … (expecting) a STEM worker shortfall of nearly 1 million people over the decade ending in 2022,” according to a recent U.S. News & World Report story.
“That’s why we begin teaching STEM early and maintain an intentional focus K-12,” said Dr. Mark Albertus, superintendent of Carrollton City Schools. “And true to our tradition of excellence, we do it well.”
Albertus noted CES was the first K-3 school in the state to receive STEM certification from the Georgia Department of Education. Last year, CHS received recognition by becoming only the 18th high school in the world to earn AdvancED STEM certification. CMS and CJHS also boast stellar programs, creating a seamless STEM progression that will ultimately produce the much needed scientists and engineers to help fill the employment gap referenced above.
STEM, from the broad perspective, is simply learning the engineering design process. From CES students taking water samples from Buffalo Creek to test for chemicals, to CMS robotics students consistently earning top awards at competitions, to the opportunity for CJHS eighth graders to earn a STEM certificate to propel them to the front of the line when they enroll in STEM courses in high school, STEM is sySTEMic at Carrollton City Schools.
District leadership and the Carrollton Board of Education also ensure students have the best tools and resources to support this initiative, including dedicated STEM labs at all schools, top-of-the-line designing software, robotics instrumentation, 3-D printers and more. Extracurricular STEM clubs and camps keep the momentum going beyond the classroom and create an opportunity for students to shine.
By the time students reach high school, they are well prepared to take what they’ve learned over the years and apply it in big ways. In 2011, Southwire Company was so impressed by the caliber of STEM students that a highly successful partnership was born to create the Southwire Engineering Academy, a program exclusively for Carrollton High School students. Since then, other businesses and industries in town also see the need of STEM-enriched students, such as Tanner Health System and Greenway Health, and have solicited CHS interns for their companies, too.
“While other districts tout their own STEM programs, Carrollton City Schools by far was the visionary leader in embracing this initiative early on,” said Albertus. “Difficult to replicate, the Carrollton City Schools STEM program prepares our students academically, fosters in them a love of learning, and equips them well for exciting post-secondary opportunities.”