The Plymouth Community School Corporation is elated to receive official word from the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) that Riverside Intermediate School has officially qualified as a Full STEM Certified school within the Hoosier state.
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Riverside is proud to be among the 32 STEM Certified Schools within the state to hold this honor.
To become certified, Principal Jeni Hirschy said her Riverside staff went through a rigorous application and review process with the IDOE, which began last year.
Hirschy said, “We formed a STEM leadership committee that collaborated in completing the application which had a due date in December. As we completed the application there was a rubric provided by the IDOE which communicated what needed to be addressed in the application for Riverside to be deemed a Full STEM certified school.”
RIS administrators held a STEM Think Tank session with the Riverside staff to brainstorm activities that our classroom teachers incorporate that are STEM related.
The application process also included a site visit from a IDOE STEM Review Team on February 15, 2017. The team consists of members of the Indiana Department of Education. “Three of our sixth grade students took the members on a tour of our building and highlighted various programs which referenced STEM,” said Hirschy.
Hirschy said, “Riverside was chosen to receive certification based on our commitment to teaching the STEM disciplines in every fifth and sixth grade classroom. My staff and I are extremely proud that Riverside is now a Full STEM Certified school.”
STEM Certified Schools exemplify a highly non-traditional approach to education, employing a great deal of inquiry, Project Based Learning, community engagement, entrepreneurship, student centered classrooms, integration into humanities and related arts, and out of school STEM activities. Riverside Intermediate accomplishes this while following educational policies set by the state and excelling under the system of accountability.
“A quality education begins with amazing educators and excellent material,” said Dr. Jennifer McCormick, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction “Materials rooted in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics help prepare our students for a successful life beyond high school.”
All certified STEM schools will be expected to reapply for certification every 5 years. Evidence of growth in the STEM attributes will be expected.
- To learn more about IDOE efforts to increase STEM education across the state or for information on becoming a STEM Certified School, please visit:www.doe.in.gov/ccr/indiana-stem-education-science-technology-engineering-and-mathematics.
- For a list of members of the RIS STEM leadership committee click here.
- On March 23, 2017 Riverside held a Title I STEM Family night. Each staff member either provided a demonstration or a STEM activity. For video clips from the Riverside Family STEM Night highlighting hands-on interactive STEM projects click here, for photos of the event click here, for photo captions and more information about the STEM event click here.
