(Carrollton, Georgia – Tuesday, October 10, 2017) Whitesburg Elementary School was awarded the STEM School of Excellence Award at the International STEM Expo in Branson, Mo. on October 10, 2017. Whitesburg Elementary School was one of three recipients to receive this award during the October 10th Awards Session at the International STEM Education Association’s STEM Expo. The STEM School of Excellence Awards program honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools whose faculty and administration have implemented a comprehensive integrated STEM education program at very high levels or have made significant progress or significant strides in achievement through the implementation of comprehensive STEM programs. Whitesburg Elementary School was the only public school as well as the only elementary school to receive the award.
The STEM School of Excellence Award sets a standard of excellence for all schools striving for the highest level of achievement in integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Each year, the International STEM Education Association seeks out schools where the faculty and administration have sought to attain and maintain high academic goals through the implementation of comprehensive and long-term integrated STEM education programs. To be named a STEM School of Excellence Award recipient is to join an elite group of educational innovators. Representatives from each school received a plaque honoring the achievement and a banner to be displayed in the school.
The faculty at Whitesburg work diligently to provide hands-on, inquiry-based learning opportunities to students in an effort to expand upon their creative thinking and 21st Century skills—while exposing them to the numerous future opportunities in STEM. Students at Whitesburg are challenged to use the engineering design method to explore innovative technologies and problems. These STEM design challenges, developed through the collaborative efforts of the faculty, have resulted in vastly increased science and math scores, expanded risk-taking on the part of students, and a markedly improved level of collaboration among students enrolled at the school. Local business partners have supported the effort by providing funds for curriculum materials, science and math manipulatives, computers, virtual reality glasses, and numerous other technologies.
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