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Partnership with STEM program
By LEE G. HEALY@GoUpstate.com
Spartanburg District 6′s new STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) program
For a select group of students at Dorman High School’s freshman campus, the experiments, the information gathering, the team building and independent thinking are becoming routine. It’s the foundation for Spartanburg District 6′s new STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) program, offered for the first time this year. The program’s mission is to inspire, prepare and encourage students to pursue STEM-related college programs and careers.
An initial cohort group of 56 ninth-graders will be the program’s pilot class. Students will have the opportunity to follow a STEM track through to graduation, then carry their knowledge and experience into the college realm and job market.
Thomas Webster, District 6 director of science education, said STEM allows students to gain relevant experience, either in the classroom (both at Dorman and R.D. Anderson Applied Technology Center) or eventually through internships. The STEM program also will benefit from partnerships with Mary Black Health System, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, Converse College, Spartanburg Community College, University of South Carolina Upstate, Wofford College, Duer/ Carolina Coil, S&ME, Wade Crow Engineering and Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine.
“We want them excited and knowledgeable,” Webster said. “We want hands-on as opposed to a theoretical understanding of the material.”
