With the STEM job field growing in demand daily, the Wawasee Community School Corporation is aiming high to incorporate those subjects at the elementary level.
Kim Nguyen, career and technical department director for Wawasee, announced at the November school board meeting Tuesday night that he and the corporation are introducing the Warriors Mechatronics Pathway. This program will allow students starting in grade three to learn about electronics, computer programming and more technology subjects.
Grade three students will learn using code.org, a website that works with students to teach the fundamentals of electrical circuits and software. Grade four will start to work with engineering concepts, and grades five through eight will spend time on subjects like robotics and computer programming.
Nguyen said that these subjects could be as essential to younger students as math and English. He believes this could fulfill the need for STEM jobs, advising that there are roughly 1 million open computer coding jobs today. The school system already has robotics clubs and similar activities in place.
Toward the end of the meeting, board member Mary Lou Dixon shared that she was just as concerned about implementing a moral ethics class at the elementary level as she is the Mechatronics Pathway. Edington and other members of the board couldn’t help but to agree.
The board also received an update on the Syracuse Elementary construction project from Bob Lahrman, who is overseeing the project. He told the board that 65 percent of the sewer system is done, and that they are ready to start working on the water system and the walls of the north gym area.
Superintendent Dr. Tom Edington stated that the project is so far coming along well due to the fair weather this season.
The next WCSC board meeting will be Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m. at Wawasee High School.
(Story By The Times Union)
