Crown Point Community School Corporation is thrilled to announce that all elementary students will receive STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education courses as part of their related arts rotation beginning the 2024-2025 school year. The district hired Sara Colvin, a fourth grade MacArthur Elementary teacher, as the district STEM Coordinator who will oversee seven STEM instructors at the elementary schools. As part of the ongoing capital improvement projects throughout Crown Point Schools, every elementary school received a new STEM lab which was designed as a collaborative learning space.

All elementary students will attend STEM class once a week for 45 minutes. Curriculum from Project Lead the Way and SAM Labs will be used. The SAM Labs curriculum is a program designed to engage young learners through hands-on, interactive lessons. It integrates coding and engineering concepts with core subjects to foster critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Project Lead the Way modules will include the following topics for each grade level: 

• Kindergarten – Structure and Function: Exploring Design
• Grade 1– Light and Sound
• Grade 2 – Materials Science: Properties of Matter
• Grade 3 – Stability and Motion: Science of Flight
• Grade 4 – Waves and Properties of Light
• Grade 5 – Earth’s Water and Interconnected Systems

The CPCSC Curriculum and Instruction team visited STEM programs in Indiana and Illinois, and they spent a year developing the program alongside Colvin. “This is a huge opportunity for our students,” Director of Elementary Education Nick Ciochina said. “Our teachers already do a great job of building STEM into their everyday curriculum, but having an additional time every week devoted to these skills means we can better support our students as 21st century learners. We’re particularly excited to add more collaborative and hands-on opportunities in the areas of coding, computer science, and engineering.”