A brand-new banner is now displayed at the heart of Park Hill Elementary School in Midway ISD, celebrating the school’s recent certification as a STEM campus by the National Institute for STEM Education.
The National Certificate for STEM Excellence recognizes schools for their commitment to strengthening science, technology, engineering, and math instruction and outcomes on their campus.
“Bigger than the banner is the work that went into achieving this certification,” Park Hill Elementary Principal Dr. Chelsea Lippe said. “It took time, intentional planning, and effort.”
Lippe, along with campus and district-level administrators and Park Hill teachers Tammy Johnston, Madison Humphrey, Wendi Singletary, Amber Pearson, Kayla Kubitza, Cristie Montgomery, and Tammy Mathis, began working toward the National Certificate for STEM Excellence - Campus Certification last August.
Through the NCSE program, Park Hill educators and campus leaders worked together to complete a three-phase process expanding the inclusion of STEM in campus accountability measures, curriculum, instruction, and professional development.
The goal of this year-long process is to enhance and sustain STEM practices and overall STEM culture on campus while supporting teachers’ use of STEM instructional strategies.
Park Hill Elementary completed all criteria and earned their national STEM certification this fall.
The campus was recognized during the Midway ISD Board of Trustees meeting in August, and a large banner that reads ‘Nationally Certified STEM Campus’ presented by NISE was unveiled at their campus STEAM—science, technology, engineering, art, and math—family night in October.
“We are so proud to have this established at Park Hill,” Lippe said. “We’re going to bring it into the classroom so all students benefit from this STEM instruction.”
