STEM Programs Help Students “Win the Future”
NEWINGTON - Will our teenagers be ready to enter the 21st century workforce? Will they have the skills and dispositions necessary to live a productive life in an ever changing society? We all want the best for our children, and in today’s demanding global economy, students need to graduate from high school with the knowledge, skills and dispositions to be successful in college and careers in order to attain a quality standard of living.

       Three years ago, Newington Public Schools proved its dedication to help students â€"win the future” by developing high-quality, innovative programs. It began with the implementation of the STEM Exploratory Program at both middle schools. With a blend of engineering, science and creativity, students are engaged in the process of designing, building and problem solving. This helps students to develop processing skills which enables them to create innovative and surprising solutions to new problems, rather than regurgitate the solutions to problems of the past.

       Last year saw the implementation of the Academy of Biomedical Sciences at Martin Kellogg Middle School and the Newington High School academy programs: Information Technology and Digital Innovation Academy, Finance and Business Management Academy, and the Culinary and Hospitality Academy. They invite community engagement with business professionals in order to afford students opportunities to learn from entrepreneurs in the real world. For example, students in the IT and Digital Innovation Career Academy at NHS enjoyed a â€"lunch and learn” with community business member, Jaime Welch, from New Wave Industries. Mr. Welch spoke of the many responsive design services that New Wave Industries offers its clients that connect with the imperative skills students are learning in their mobile application, IT, and graphic design classes.

       This upcoming school year will see the opening of the Academy of Aerospace and Engineering at John Wallace Middle School. Students will explore and research aerospace topics in depth, such as aeronautics, the aerospace environment, aerospace physiology, air navigation, and the physics and operation of spacecraft. Curricula will be rigorous, innovative, and relevant to today’s world. It will emphasize project-based learning and problem-solving skills, and it will develop students’ collaboration and critical thinking abilities. Construction will begin on the Newington High School STEM wing and will open in the fall of 2016. This wing will house bioscience and Aerospace labs, an updated culinary kitchen and event dining space, and will include a shared â€"Think Tank” where students can share new ideas, create and build prototypes, and fail as many times as necessary to ultimately reach success.

       To learn more about our programs, please visit www.npsct.org or contact Kim Davis, Director of Extended Learning, at kdavis@npsct.org .