STEM Program Announces Expansion Plans and New Teacher
The STEM program is thriving and Perry Public Schools is ready to take STEM education to new heights. The district was recently awarded multiple grants to expand offerings to reach more students.
Introduced in August 2023, the STEM program was funded by a grant from the Malzahn Family Affiliated Fund (MFAF) to launch and sustain the program over several years.
The program was initially rolled out with a heavy focus on 3rd through 6th grade, including a dedicated STEM lab and teacher. In addition, Pre-K through 2nd grade classrooms have been receiving monthly visits from Mrs. Amanda Wilson, PPS STEM Coordinator, to provide STEM lessons to young learners. She is currently working to build curriculum, training, supplies and equipment to lower elementary teachers for added STEM education.
The next priority focus area is on junior high students. The ball is rolling as Perry Schools was approved by Oklahoma CareerTech to add a new CareerTech STEM program in the junior high. This includes the hire of a dedicated STEM teacher to serve 7th and 8th grade students, whose salary is supplemented by CareerTech. Junior high students will be offered STEM course elective options in Design and Modeling, as well as Automation and Robotics, beginning in the 2024-2025 school year.
Laddie Rupp was recently named the new Perry Junior High STEM teacher. He has been teaching 8th grade science at PJH for the past five years and will step into the new STEM teaching position over the summer.
Perry Schools was also awarded a $9,000 grant from Project Lead the Way to cover the new junior high curriculum fees and teacher training.
Rupp and the current Upper Elementary STEM teacher, Crystal Deken, will attend two weeks of training this summer for Project Lead the Way. The training cost is covered by the $9,000 grant. In addition, Rupp will attend training to be a certified CareerTech teacher, which is provided by the Oklahoma Department of CareerTech.
For high school students, STEM education is currently offered through robotics and engineering, technology education, agriculture, and business classes. While those pathways will continue and grow, PHS will soon offer a new and exciting Aviation elective in the 2024-2025 school year. Perry Airport Manager, Terence Hulet, helped kickstart this conversation by expressing an interest in sharing available aviation opportunities for local students. From that, a partnership with the Aviation Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) formed, allowing PHS to add an aviation STEM course titled “Launching into Aviation - AOPA ‘You Can Fly’” for 9th and 10th graders.
The aviation curriculum is provided at no cost to Perry Schools from the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission. The plan is to utilize an existing Perry teacher to teach the one-hour aviation course on the high school campus. This teacher will attend a four-day training in Norman hosted by the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics (ODAA). Additional equipment and supplies will be needed to implement this class, so Mrs. Wilson is in the process of applying for grants available through ODAA to fund these needs.
If that isn’t enough excitement, Perry Schools is also thrilled to host a summer STEM camp, in partnership with the OSU College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology. The camp is set for June 11-13 at Perry Upper Elementary School and the camp is already full, reaching max capacity students within 48 hours of opening registration. It is free to campers, thanks to the MFAF grant.
PPS has also applied for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) grant, available through the Oklahoma State Department of Education to fund an after school program. A survey was sent to elementary parents to gauge the need and an overwhelmingly positive response was received in favor of an after school program. This potential program, if awarded the grant, will be available for free to Perry students in Kindergarten through 6th grade, and would include a STEM component.
Perry Schools is paving the way for an exciting future in STEM education!