Gowan named a ‘School for the Future’
System puts focus on science, tech, engineering, math
Yuma County’s Gowan Science Academy has been selected as one of five APS STEM Schools for the Future for the upcoming school year, according to a news release from NAU.
Gowan Science Academy, or GSA, has been a STEM school since its inception in 2013 as a district charter school, said Principal Jamie Haines, who was hired as the school’s first principal, and has been at the helm since its inception, according to previous articles in the Yuma Sun.
STEM schools focus on science, technology, engineering and math, Haines said. “This grant will push us to a new level in STEM education.”
GSA teachers and administrators have already been to Flagstaff for training and will attend additional training sessions throughout the year both at GSA and NAU, Haines said.
“Going into Year 5 as a school, we are ready to push our students’ learning to the next level and get them involved on a local issue in which they can develop solutions and create a lasting impact,” Haines said in an email interview with the Yuma Sun, explaining one of the School for the Future’s components.
“We know that if we can get students as young as 10 years old involved in their community and give them the experience of helping their community then they are likely to be contributing members of their community when they grow up,” Haines said.
Haines said the GSA group has made connections with Yuma Community Food Bank President and CEO Shara Merten to start planning a food sustainability project in Yuma.
“One thing we have been working toward is developing community partners in order to have students make an impact in our Yuma Community,” she said. “The professional learning we are receiving through this grant will allow us to do that this year.”
The APS STEM School for the Future program, run by Northern Arizona University’s Center for Science Teaching and Learning, is funded through a $250,000 grant from the APS Foundation, which was awarded in late 2016.
The APS STEM School for the Future is a K-8 professional development system designed for schools that are either beginning or already focused on their STEM learning journey, according to NAU’s web page about the program. The purpose of the program is to “develop a more STEM literate workforce by building school capacity to design and implement effective STEM education for today’s learners.”
The is the second cohort of schools funded through the grant, according to the news release from NAUFlagstaff. The first cohort, chosen in 2012, had 13 schools across Arizona. This year, the cohort has five schools: Cottonwood Middle School in Cottonwood; Thompson Ranch Elementary School in El Mirage; Sierra Verde STEM Academy in Glendale; The STAR School in Flagstaff; and GSA.
“The learning we have already experienced through this grant is priceless. It’s exactly what we needed to push Gowan Science Academy to a new level of STEM education,” Haines said. “It is not only affecting our students but also this amazing community in which we live.”