By Eishna Ranganathan
News Editor

After examining which subjects have the largest prospective career fields, the Neshaminy School District is attempting to emphasize STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – at all levels, elementary, middle and high school, via various upcoming programs and curriculum maps for the summer and during 2015-16 school year.

“We are trying to better prepare students for success in a global, technological world; with an increase in hands-on activity, more students will gravitate toward the lessons, focusing on inquiry rather than recall, and active rather than passive learning,” Matt Thompson, science dept. chairperson said.

The newest upcoming change, a STEM expo, will occur on May 28 in which younger students will have the opportunity to display their scientific projects in robotics, food science, computer design and the like. Middle schoolers will compete in an engineering-based challenge in experimental design.
Additionally, the district is planning a Summer STEM Academy for grades four through eight in the late summer, with one and two-week programs at the high school.

Those at the elementary school can select Camp Illuminate, centering around prototype simulations, or Basic Version, centering around engineering. Those at the middle school can choose among an advanced and robotics-specific course. “[Neshaminy] is really expanding its STEM focus beyond the classroom, trying to get the community and businesses involved and tell our Neshaminy story of events and accomplishments, through our voice, by taking a more proactive role on the website and making STEM a public endeavor,” David Geanette, Director of Math and Science said.

Two months ago, Neshaminy ran a STEM report and started a blog, upkept by Chris Stanley, with status updates around the district. The high school offers four Advanced Placement (AP) sciences, three AP math courses, and six college preparatory engineering courses, all for which it has recently purchased newer equipment to further lab investigation.

“I think we should focus on a greater math requisite for students, four years rather than three, and better funded labs for study to build upon what we have learned and understand concepts better,” junior Brenna Doyle said.

The budget, altered accordingly, caters to the various items bought and future purchases to be made with instructional materials and attendance of faculty at STEM conferences a priority for the district; around $165,000 will be devoted to the initiative.

Administration also continues to recognize the importance of individuals who have gifts across multiple fields. “I think it’s important to extend this invitation into the arts for a gamut of mindsets. You can incorporate the same problem-solving processes, straying from the traditional methods, for a more integrated approach. You need imagination and creativity for solutions, rather than pure function,” Geanette said.

Overall jobs in America tend to encompass six fields: STEM, law, business, social sciences, liberal arts and education. “At the bachelor’s degree level, students in humanities, education, and health sciences had higher attrition rates (56?62 percent) than did those in STEM fields (48 percent),” according to the U.S. Dept. of Education 2013 report.

Neshaminy’s measures start to involve the district’s youth in STEM at an earlier age and attempt to better prepare them for a sense of real world principals and career readiness