Pascagoula starts STEM training early
The Pascagoula School District doesn't wait for students to
get in high school to start touting math and science skills.
A special STEM room at its Aaron Jones Family Interactive Center "builds excitement even from a young age," said district spokeswoman Debbie Anglin.
"Those kids are having so much fun, they don't even know they're learning," she said.
The room, sponsored by Ingalls Shipbuilding, allows educators to teach a concept in the classroom, then bring students to the center to get hands-on applications.
On Sept. 25, the district will host its Mad Scientist Super Saturday at the center, where representatives from Ingalls, Chevron, Mississippi Power and Singing River Electric, among others, will be on hand to work with kids.
The center doesn't only reach students in the Pascagoula district, either. "These kids are not just from our district, but are from all over the state," Anglin said.
At the high school level, new labs will open this fall -- two at Pascagoula and two at Gautier -- for a computer-based program aimed at ninth-graders.
"The teacher will function as a facilitator and the kids will be doing hands-on work," said Pat Taylor, principal of Pascagoula's Applied Technology Center and director for the district's vocational training.
The curriculum teaches students what it takes to start a business, and what careers are available that require skills in science, technology, engineering and math.
Taylor said the district also works with local industries like Chevron and Performance to train students for the workplace.
Students can take the same tests on campus that are given in the workplace in areas such as heating and air, welding and construction. "The kids who want to get that certification will be able to do that," Taylor said.
In addition, an information technology class starts in seventh grade, and continues into eighth grade with more extensive career research, Taylor said.
A special STEM room at its Aaron Jones Family Interactive Center "builds excitement even from a young age," said district spokeswoman Debbie Anglin.
"Those kids are having so much fun, they don't even know they're learning," she said.
The room, sponsored by Ingalls Shipbuilding, allows educators to teach a concept in the classroom, then bring students to the center to get hands-on applications.
On Sept. 25, the district will host its Mad Scientist Super Saturday at the center, where representatives from Ingalls, Chevron, Mississippi Power and Singing River Electric, among others, will be on hand to work with kids.
The center doesn't only reach students in the Pascagoula district, either. "These kids are not just from our district, but are from all over the state," Anglin said.
At the high school level, new labs will open this fall -- two at Pascagoula and two at Gautier -- for a computer-based program aimed at ninth-graders.
"The teacher will function as a facilitator and the kids will be doing hands-on work," said Pat Taylor, principal of Pascagoula's Applied Technology Center and director for the district's vocational training.
The curriculum teaches students what it takes to start a business, and what careers are available that require skills in science, technology, engineering and math.
Taylor said the district also works with local industries like Chevron and Performance to train students for the workplace.
Students can take the same tests on campus that are given in the workplace in areas such as heating and air, welding and construction. "The kids who want to get that certification will be able to do that," Taylor said.
In addition, an information technology class starts in seventh grade, and continues into eighth grade with more extensive career research, Taylor said.
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