South Carolina STEM Education Month
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  • About
    • Why STEM
    • Event History
    • Media Kit
  • Stories IN STEM
  • Partner Action Team
  • STEM Day at the Capitol
  • STEM Educator of the Year
  • Grants
  • Duke Energy Science Nights
    • Digital Kit Resources
    • Past Events
  • Calendar of Events
  • Home
  • About
    • Why STEM
    • Event History
    • Media Kit
  • Stories IN STEM
  • Partner Action Team
  • STEM Day at the Capitol
  • STEM Educator of the Year
  • Grants
  • Duke Energy Science Nights
    • Digital Kit Resources
    • Past Events
  • Calendar of Events
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Education Week 2019

April 8 - 12th
A Look Back
Monday:  Raise Your Voice for STEM Education!
Tuesday:  STEM Education Day at the Capitol!
Wednesday:  STEM Impact Day
Thursday:  Show Us Your STEM! 
Friday: Sustaining STEM, Building a Strong State
Thanks to our all for making this such a powerful week of celebration.

 A Week for Celebrating STEM Education and it's Role in Our Communities!

In April, 2019 South Carolina’s Coalition for Mathematics & Science (SCCMS) organized the first ever STEM Education Week!

Our goal was to remind communities of the important role STEM education plays in our State.  In 2018, we took STEM Education to the Capitol, showcasing student robotics teams, celebrating past success as well as introducing new initiatives.  In 2019, we expanded our efforts with a full week of daily activities geared toward school and community participation.

We invited fellow STEM enthusiasts and schools around the State to participate in the 2019 South Carolina STEM Education Week!
MONDAY:  Raise Your Voice for STEM Education!
Raise your voice and shoot a quick email to your legislators, encouraging them to continue supporting STEM education during this legislative session! 

Not sure who your legislators are?  Use this link to easily locate your representatives.

Short on time or not sure what to write?  No worries.  Simply start with our sample email and customize it to fit your message.  Your voices have a great impact on our legislators who are interested in knowing how supporting STEM education leads to a better prepared workforce and brighter economic outlook for our state.
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Sample Email:
Opportunities in STEM career fields such as Advanced Manufacturing, Computing, and Engineering continue to grow in South Carolina. STEM learning in schools, in afterschool programs, and in a wide variety of formal and informal learning settings all contribute to an informed citizenry, a workforce with increased knowledge and skills, and a better quality of life for all.

I ask you to support STEM teachers and learners in this 2019 legislative session by_____________.   

I value your leadership as a legislator and look forward to working with you to support the STEM education this year and every year!

Here are some items you might consider asking your legislator to support:
  • The STEM Teacher Fellows program aimed at retention of mid-career teachers proposed by South Carolina’s Coalition for Mathematics & Science and approved by the Education Oversight Committee.
  • Tax credits for business/industry that employ STEM educators from any grade level as interns.
  • The creation of a professional development fund targeted to assist STEM teachers, with special emphasis on middle and high school mathematics teachers, in developing interdisciplinary, project-based instruction and assignments that engage students in applying science, computational thinking, engineering and mathematics skills to solve problems.
TUESDAY:  STEM Education Day at the Capitol!
Join us at 10:00 am in the first floor lobby of the State House for a gathering to read the Governor's proclamation declaring April 9th as STEM Education Day, to announce exciting STEM initiatives and the naming of the STEM Teacher of the Year:

Midlands Region Finalist: Warren Wise, Science Teacher, Kelly Mill Middle School, Richland School District Two

Finalists:
  • Coastal Pee Dee Region: Deborah Chapman, Science Lab Teacher, Delmae Heights Elementary School in Florence School District One
  • Western Region Finalist: Cecilia Kelly, Project Lead the Way Master Teacher (PLTW), Mid-Carolina Middle School in Newberry County School District
  • Upstate Regional Finalist: Jeffrey Young, Science and Technology Facilitator & Gifted and Talented Teacher, Woodland Heights Elementary School, Spartanburg School District Six
  • Lowcountry Regional Finalist: Tracey Mays, STEM, Gift and Talented, Geometry Honors, 6 – 8 Math, and GATE Teacher, Gregg Middle School, Dorchester School District Two

Student groups will be onsite demonstrating robotics and other STEM projects they have designed and engineered.

If you can’t be present at the Capitol, we want to hear from you!  Send us a video or comments on why STEM education is important to our state, why students need a strong STEM education, why business/industry needs graduates qualified to work in STEM-related fields, and/or how STEM impacts South Carolina's economy.

If you submit your video or email messages by the end of the day on Tuesday, you may see them featured on our social media sites.
Upstate Regional Finalist, Jeffrey Young, Science and Technology Facilitator & Gifted and Talented Teacher, Woodland Heights Elementary School, shows us what STEM instruction looks like in his classroom.

Team Hornet_BiomimicryDesignChallenge from Kirstin Bullington on Vimeo.

2019 STEM Teacher of the Year Nominee, Kristin Alexander Olanta Creative Arts and Science Magnet School shows us what STEM education looks like in her classroom.
WEDNESDAY:  STEM Impact Day
Wednesday is all about sharing.  Throughout the day, we’ll be posting videos and messages from students, educators, community, and business/industry professionals on how STEM education impacts our state.  Keep checking our social media feeds throughout the day and share these messages with your community.

THURSDAY: Show Us Your STEM!  Calling all classrooms, afterschool programs, clubs, homes and communities.
All are encouraged to participate and capture images of individuals and groups engaging in a STEM activity, STEM lesson, or STEM in the workplace and/or community.  Don’t forget to take a few photos or a video and post to Facebook using #STEMWeekSC.

Educators, need help with resources?  We’ve got you covered.  Download our resource flyer.
FRIDAY:  Sustaining STEM, Building a Strong State
Friday is all about carrying it forward.  Everyone is encouraged to submit an electronic commitment card, committing to one action item to sustain quality STEM education and learning throughout the year.

Student commitments might be:
  • Participating in the science fair.
  • Joining a STEM-related club.
  • Attending a STEM summer camp.
  • Learning about STEM careers in South Carolina.
  • Reading a STEM-related book.
  • Interviewing a STEM-professional in their community.
Others might commit to:
  • Joining a SC Grand Challenge Action Team.
  • Volunteering at a STEM event.
  • Participating in a STEM festival.
  • Developing and teaching an integrated STEM unit.
  • Writing a grant for a new STEM initiative.
  • Taking steps toward becoming a STEM-certified school.
  • Hosting a STEM night at your school or community club.
  • Visit an AdvancED STEM-certified school.

We want you to succeed with your commitments.  Contact your Regional S²TEM Centers Office if you need help getting started! 

After STEM Education Week concludes we’ll be summarizing and sharing the commitments with our community and legislators.   

It was a great week for STEM Education in South Carolina!  We showed our state why STEM education is so important especially for our students and their success toward the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.

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© South Carolina's Coalition for Mathematics & Science 2023
South Carolina Coalition for Mathematics & Science
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