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Education | 5
JUNE 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net
Kingsley Elementary becomes first
STEAM school in Dunwoody
ENGINEERING DESIGN
PROCESS
BY EVELYN ANDREWS
evelyn@reportemewspapers.net
Kingsley Elementary has become the
first STEAM certified school in Dunwoody.
The certification shows the school is dedi
cated to teaching about science, technolo
gy, engineering, arts and math and allowing
students to do hands-on
projects.
Most other schools
in state are certified for
STEM, which does not
include art.
“We wanted to do
something unique,”
teacher Romilia Human
said about deciding to
go the extra step to add
art certification.
Getting the STEAM
certification is simi
lar process to achiev
ing STEM, but “definite
ly more work” because
the school has to show
commitment to arts pro
grams as well, Human
said. The school does
frequent plays, musical
performances and art
shows that helped them
achieve the certification,
she said.
“It’s a total shift in the way kids learn,”
Human said. “It creates a sense of commu
nity and of being proud for obtaining this
certification.”
Students have done projects on ocean
pollution, creating a clean-up machine,
and earthquakes, which involved creating
a seismograph and a structure to withstand
shakes. The projects are meant to connect
to the “real world” and delve into problems,
Human said.
“The kids enjoy it because it’s hands on,”
Human said.
Kingsley received the certification
through AdvancED, an accreditation agen
cy, which charges a fee. But the Georgia De
partment of Education also provides a dif
ferent certification for free.
The STEAM certification does not pro
vide new curriculum or any tangible ben
efits, but shows that the programs are im
portant to the school, Kinglsey Principal
Melanie Pearch said.
Kingsley achieved the certification
May 8, according to a district press release.
DeKalb Schools Superintendent R. Ste
phen Green said the certification shows the
“world that our students are tomorrow’s
tech gurus, CIOs, and cybersecurity ex
perts.”
“The dedication, passion, and determina
tion shown by teachers and staff in complet
ing such an effort deserves commendation
from both the district and the community
at large,” Green said in a press release about
the certification. “We’re providing the 21st-
century skills needed to make a difference.”
Certification is long process with creat
ing websites, showing evidence of meeting
standards and school visits from accredi
tors.
SPECIAL
Kingsley Elementary Vice Principal
Tyra Harris-Thompson holds the
school’s new STEAM signage.
“It takes a village. The parents have to
buy in, the teachers have to buy in,” Pearch
said. “You can’t shove it down teachers’
throats.”
The PTO also provided support, paying
for new signage and helped do classroom
art and music room upgrades to meet stan
dards, Stephenie Gordon, the organization
president, said.
“Our entire school
has been working tire
lessly to make this pos
sible and we are very
proud!” Gordon said.
The district paid the
certification costs re
quired by AdvancED,
Pearch said. DeKalb
Schools said an open
records request would
have to be submitted to
obtain how much the
district paid.
Meghan Frick, a
Georgia Department of
Education spokesper
son, said its certification
is free for schools. The
process requires similar
steps of evaluations and
requiring evidence from
schools it meets the cri
teria.
WHOLE
HEART
At St. Martin’s, we celebrate the
journey of growing up - from
the formative preschool years
to graduating young adults.
Congratulations Class of 2019
on your outstanding high school
acceptances!
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EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
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404.237.4260
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