Lakota is moving full STEAM ahead to prepare its students for the future.
A growing number of school districts nationwide are discovering that students not only need STEM..science, technology, engineering and math, but an added element...art.Lakotahas also added medical, forming the STEAM squared acronym. At Liberty Junior School teacher Doug Noxsel instructed seventh graders in his design class to build the tallest structure they could with certain specifications.
"We're up to 108 inches so we hold the record right here right now. Now I want to talk to you about this for holding the record today, 108 inches because the day's not over."
The U.S. Labor Department says one half of the fastest growing occupations are STEAM squared related fields. Lakota elementary school students will design windmills, alarms and model membranes. Seventh grader Jake Apking didn't know what to expect when he came to this design class a few weeks ago.
"Well, I looked around the room and I thought it would be mostly with computers but I guess it's more with building and a kind of collaboration."
Butler Techprovides the instructors and curriculum. Eventually the seventh graders will model in computerized 3-D.
"These kids are ready for it. These kids want this. These kids want to have a multidisciplinary classroom where they can pull together the great stuff from their science teacher, their math teacher and pull together in a way to be innovative."
The program is on a five year rollout. When these seventh graders get to high school they can choose one of two paths; pre-engineering or bio-medical.
Hear a longer version of this story here.
