Education
Stripling Elementary Sets Sights on STEM Certification
The World Economic Forum, a not-for-profit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland focusing on entrepreneurship, recently cited three critical skills students will need for tomorrow’s work world: problem-solving, collaboration and adaptability.
Those broad concepts can be challenging to come by. That’s why many education institutions lean toward a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) curriculum.
In Georgia, STEM and STEAM (the ‘A’ stands for arts) education is an integrated curriculum driven by exploratory project-based learning and student-centered development of ideas and solutions.
How a STEM curriculum impacts the community
Stripling Elementary Principal Molly McAuliffe was aware of the benefits such an educational focus can have for all students, especially her student body of 800. With 84% of them qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, it is a Title I school.
That means the Georgia Department of Education provides technical assistance, resources and program monitoring to ensure all children have a “significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable and high-quality education and to close educational achievement gaps.”
“We like to say that [free and reduced-price lunch] classification is about how students pay for their meals. It has nothing to do with how they learn,” McAuliffe said. “Our goal is to provide a high-quality education for all students. And we believe here at Stripling Elementary that our kids can do anything they put their minds to.”
Located in the Norcross Cluster, Stripling Elementary serves families from Peachtree Corners and Norcross. The school has had a close relationship with Paul Duke STEM High School and Norcross High School.
“We’ve had student leaders from both schools come over and sort of mentor our kids in different ways,” said McAuliffe.
The Norcross Robotics team was involved with the school’s STEM night in the past, and Paul Duke students who are part of the Society of Black Engineers have put together learning sessions for the elementary kids.
“Paul Duke also has a mentoring program this year where they work with third-grade students,” she said. “They come over on Fridays and mentor some of our third graders to get them excited about school and learning and specifically about what they can learn in the STEM fields.”
A worthwhile endeavor
With a student appetite for a new kind of learning, McAuliffe and her staff decided to become one of the few STEM-certified elementary schools in the county. Of Gwinnett County’s 88 elementary schools, three have state STEM certification.
“We looked at [our school mission] as a team and updated it this past summer with our instructional leadership team. When we looked at our vision about students becoming responsible, empathetic and driven world-class leaders, we thought about how we can achieve that,” said McAuliffe.
“Things like encouraging effective communication, critical thinking and innovative problem solving among our student body were at the forefront,” she added.
McAuliffe said that the school’s science director shared a fascinating statistic recently: 65% of the jobs that their students are going to be doing …do not yet exist.
“We can’t be giving them specific facts or figures or little bits of knowledge. That is not going to help them. What will help them is if they know how to think critically, problem solve, be creative and effectively communicate with one another.”
Those are all components of a STEM-based curriculum.
Assistant Principal Frank Rodriguez and teacher Rebecca Phillips, now the school’s STEM coordinator, agreed to take on the STEM specials class and lead the initiative for the school.
“We’re at the beginning of this process, and we know it’s going to take about three to five years for us to get the STEM certification from the state,” said McAuliffe. “We know it’s challenging, but we also believe our kids deserve it.”
Getting students engaged
As the STEM specials teacher, Phillips said she gets the “absolute wonderful privilege of teaching every single student in the school. Just to see the kids spark up and get excited about the problems around us in the world, and maybe coming up with some solutions to solve them, is really what drives me.”
STEM uses project-based learning where children are encouraged to use their natural curiosity and creativity to solve problems.
“Kids that might just be sitting in the back of the classroom kind of bored and not interested get engaged when they have something that they can relate to and want to solve because, I think, kids in general just want to solve problems,” said Phillips.
“They’re much more creative than adults, in my opinion, and they’re able to break out of that box that sometimes we get put into,” she elaborated.
She said this is especially true for non-native English speakers since project-based learning requires students to work in groups.
“It requires them to communicate, and then it gives them so much more of a desire to work to acquire that English language,” said Phillips. “I watch them being so brave and working through that kind of quiet phase a little bit more quickly because they are dying to express themselves and communicate with their teammates.”
The classes use grade-level-appropriate problems — and the students work out solutions. Recently, fifth graders were working with magnets when a student realized their STEM education could help a real-world issue.
“One kid’s dad would always get flat tires. He worked in construction and there are always nails around,” said Rodriguez. “He invented a machine that used magnets to pick up the nails in the parking area.”
Bringing staff on board
Although Stripling Elementary has just one teacher dedicated solely to STEM, it’s a concept that covers just about every subject.
“Right now, we have been trying to get more teachers involved in the STEM process,” said Phillips.
She employs the same techniques with educators that she uses to keep the kids engaged. For the past few months, several teachers have volunteered for what they call “sip and STEM” sessions.
“In October, we took on a Halloween theme and added flavored syrups like peach and blueberry to a base of Sprite,” she said. “We gave them names like Dragon’s Blood.”
Phillips also gave teachers and administrators a STEM challenge — how one might use light to scare people in a haunted house.
“She taught us quickly how to build a circuit to light up light bulbs. Then she gave us cardboard boxes and a lot of fun materials like aluminum foil. We had to build the circuit and get it to light up in 40 minutes,” said McAuliffe.
Those kinds of sharing experiences drive the point home and bring the other staffers — teachers and non-teaching staff — into the world of STEM.
“We’re still in the process of learning all of the steps we’re going to need to go through,” said McAuliffe. “But we have submitted an intent to seek certification form with the State Department of Education.”
Following the established rubric, McAuliffe is confident that Stripling Elementary will be able to add the STEM seal to its school accomplishments before the end of the decade.
The 2024-2025 school year has brought exciting extracurricular additions to the International Charter Academy of Georgia (ICAGeorgia), with the launch of new cross country and track programs.
Intended for upper-elementary and middle school students in grades 4-6, the new programs were started by Coach Shawn Nix, who joined the ICAGeorgia staff this fall. She comes to the school with 17 years of teaching experience in the Gwinnett County School System and 13 years of coaching experience. She was named Gwinnett County Coach of the Year twice during her tenure there.
Nix said that her goal in creating the cross country and track programs at ICAGeorgia was to “give students an introduction to cross country, teach them the value of teamwork and cultivate the future generation of runners.”
“The parents are thrilled about the addition of the cross country program,” she added. “They’ve expressed their excitement to me, and they are at practice and meets supporting the athletes.”
Cross country
Twenty-three academy students signed up for cross country this year, excited to be part of the inaugural team.
The season began on September 3 with the school’s first meet at Legacy Park in Decatur, where students competed in the one-mile dash against 210 other athletes from Atlanta area-schools.
Three of the school’s young athlete’s placed, with one sixth grader taking third in the girls division; another sixth grade student placing 24th in the boys division and one fourth grader placing 16th in the boys division.
They recently wrapped up the season on November 13 with a meet held at Midtown High School.
Though the season was short — most meets had already closed their entries by late August, and one meet was cancelled due to Hurricane Helene — the ICAGeorgia team was able to get in two good competitions and a lot of practice sessions.
Track season
According to Coach Nix, some students that were interested in cross country weren’t able to sign up for the team in time, but they’ve said they will be coming out for track in the spring. She’s expecting at least 20 students to join the team.
Track season begins in February, and the opening meet is scheduled for March 8at Lanier High School in Sugar Hill.
Upcoming track meets will feature the following events: long jump, triple jump, high jump, shot put, disc throw, 3200m, 1600m, 800m, 400m and 4×100, 400 and 800m relays.
Future plans
Following the success of the new cross country and track programs, Coach Nix shared that ICAGeorgia plans to offer more after-school sports in the near future.
“The sports we add will be gauged by an interest survey, keeping in mind the facilities we have,” she said. “But we would love to add basketball and soccer.”
For more about ICAGeorgia, visit them at internationalcharteracademy.org.
Good Samaritan Health Centers of Gwinnett (Good Samaritan Gwinnett) has received state authorization from the Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission (GNPEC) to officially launch Access Academy, a private, certificate-granting, low-cost postsecondary education program targeting students of low-income and/or minority households who aspire to pursue careers in healthcare but may lack the financial means to attend traditional college programs.
Access Academy is designed to meet the needs of students from underserved communities, providing healthcare-specific training at a fraction of the cost, thanks to charitable donations and volunteer-based faculty support.
Access Academy will initially offer a five-month medical assistant certification program. Graduates of the program will be able to enter the workforce without the burden of student loans, directly benefiting their household income and financial well-being.
“We are thrilled to launch Access Academy and open the doors of opportunity for those who need it most,” said Shameka Allen, CEO of Good Samaritan Gwinnett. “Our mission has always been to support underserved communities, and now, with Access Academy, we can extend that impact by helping students earn their medical assistant certificates and get their start in healthcare.”
A history of mentoring and education
Good Samaritan Gwinnett has a rich history of educating undergraduate and graduate students in health sciences. Since 2012, the organization has mentored nearly 450 graduate students pursuing medical and dental professional degrees. The cost of precepting just one midlevel student for an average of 168 hours amounts to $10,038, reflecting the organization’s dedication to training and education.
Greg Lang, chief financial officer of Good Samaritan Gwinnett, spearheaded the efforts to secure state authorization and launch Access Academy.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see Access Academy come to life after months of planning and preparation,” Lang said. “Access Academy is not just providing training — it’s offering hope, opportunity and the support needed to turn dreams into reality.”
An ongoing mission
The launch of Access Academy is part of Good Samaritan Gwinnett’s ongoing mission to expand its reach and make healthcare more accessible, both by providing direct patient care and by equipping future healthcare professionals with the skills they need to succeed. Since Good Samaritan Gwinnett’s inception in 2005, more than 52,300 patients have entered the clinic more than 300,000 times.
For more information about Access Academy, visit them at goodsamgwinnett.org/access-academy or email Greg Lang at Greg.Lang@goodsamgwinnett.org.
Pinecrest Academy, a private preK3–12 Catholic school serving north metro Atlanta, has once again been named to the College Board’s Advanced Placement® Program (AP®) School Honor Roll, earning Platinum distinction.
The AP® School Honor Roll recognizes schools whose AP programs are delivering results for students while also broadening access. Schools can earn this recognition annually based on criteria that reflect a commitment to increasing college-going culture, providing opportunities for students to earn college credit and maximizing college readiness.
“We are so honored to have received this AP Honor Roll Award, as we strive each year to provide every student with a college preparatory experience, which includes the successful completion of challenging AP courses,” commented Amy Bowman, Pinecrest Academy high school principal. “The Platinum designation from AP speaks to the excellence that our faculty strives for in delivering challenging content that prepares our students for college.”
The numbers
During the 2023-2024 school year, Pinecrest had 89% of seniors taking at least one AP exam during high school, 82% of seniors scoring a three or higher on at least one AP exam and 58% who took five or more AP exams. Twenty-one AP courses were offered, representing 30 sections taught by 12 high school teachers at the school.
“Our Class of 2024 earned a 100% acceptance into the college/university of their choice,” Bowman said. “Since the school’s first graduating class of 2007, Pinecrest’s high school has maintained a 100% graduation rate every year.”
AP Access Award
Pinecrest Academy was also awarded the AP Access Award this year. Schools on the AP School Honor Roll may earn the AP Access Award, which recognizes schools that demonstrate a clear and effective commitment to equitable access to advanced coursework.
“AP represents an opportunity for students to stand out to colleges, earn college credit and placement and potentially boost their grade point averages,” said Trevor Packer, head of the AP program. “The schools have shown that they can expand access to these college-level courses and still drive high performance — they represent the best of our AP program.”
For more information, visit pinecrestacademy.org.
For more about the Advanced Placement® Program, visit ap.collegeboard.org.
Final Restaurants Announced for New Politan Row Food Hall at The Forum
Fun for All Ages: The Neighborhood Christmas Train 2024 Experience
The High Museum to Showcase “Thinking Eye, Seeing Mind”
GAC Shares Joy of Christmas with Annual Can-A-Thon Support
GAC Shares Joy of Christmas with Annual Can-A-Thon Support
Final Restaurants Announced for New Politan Row Food Hall at The Forum
The High Museum to Showcase “Thinking Eye, Seeing Mind”
Fun for All Ages: The Neighborhood Christmas Train 2024 Experience
Life in Motion: The Gift of Organ Donation Fuels Active Lives for Recipients
Furkids Wraps Up Successful Year with Open House Event and More
The Dec/Jan Issue of Peachtree Corners Magazine is Out Now
Shaping Peachtree Corners: New Vision for the Central Business District [Podcast]
Light up the Corners [Video]
Capitalist Sage: Business Leadership in Your Community [Podcast]
Cliff Bramble: A Culinary Adventure through Italy
Top 10 Brunch Places in Gwinnett County
A Hunger for Hospitality
THE CORNERS EPISODE 3 – BLAXICAN PART 1
Top 10 Indoor Things To Do This Winter
The ED Hour: What it takes to Remove Barriers from Education
