Brandon Twp.- High school seniors here will have an opportunity to take a class and make it their own.
At their Jan. 18 meeting, the school board approved adding a STEM Capstone and Career Exploration course to the list of elective options available for seniors in the 2016-17 school year. The half-credit class is part of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics program at the high school and marks the first time a STEM offering has been available to seniors.
‘STEM classes were only for ninth through 11th grades,? said Patti Dzbanski, STEM engineering teacher. ‘We said it would be nice if we had a STEM senior class. We are like a family. Now they have all these skills they have acquired in STEM and we want them to be able to study something in their field. This is all them? about them pursuing their passion in the STEM field, and I will offer guidance.?
The school district implemented the STEM program, which takes an integrated, hands-on approach to the four disciplines included in the curriculum, including block classes, several years ago. There are currently 200 students in the program. The STEM philosophy is one of project-based learning, building scientific and technical writing skills, as well as research, teamwork and public speaking skills. The majority of students are college-bound and will also take advanced placement courses.
In the first year of the program, students can take a path of either algebra I and physical science or algebra II and physics. The second year focuses on geometry and biology, while the third year is chemistry.
Students in the new Capstone class will be in Dzbanski’s classroom every day for an hour, but will work independently most of the time on a project of their own choosing, with their teacher offering guidance. Each student will be given $100 for materials for their project.
‘It’s up to them to come up with a project and make a proposal and we will approve the project for them to go forward,? said Dzbanski. ‘They will learn program management, how to budget time, and budget money. They have to research and go out in the field and get the information they need to proceed, but they will be doing everything. The proof’s in the pudding, but I think it will be a pretty popular class.?
The program is funded by Career and Technical Education funding from the state and federal government. There is no cost to the district.