|
|
 
|
Breaking News
Tipp shows 'heart' for AHA
Last Updated February 02 2012 | 8.37pmIt's been done on a collegiate level before, but never at the school district level. Tipp City Schoo...
Evan and Anna are Heart Heroes
Last Updated February 02 2012 | 8.29pmThis story originally ran in the September 23, 2011, edition of the Weekly Record Herald.By ALISH...
MU Library celebrates 75 years
Last Updated January 30 2012 | 4.26pmFor more information, call 698-5515, or go online at www.mupubliclibrary.org.
More on Tipp City News | West Milton News | Bethel Township
| STEAM asks BOE for more academic support |
 |
 |
 |
| Written by Editor |
| Thursday, 25 February 2010 19:29 |
|
By Melanie Yingst Brown News Service
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
TIPP CITY — A local community member called for more emphasis on academics as he addressed the need for support from the Tipp City Schools Board of Education Feb. 22. Tippecanoe STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Booster past president Dr. Charles C. Smith DDS asked the board for more support informing a more concrete commitment from the board in ways such as funding a stipend for a teacher or administrator to serve as a district STEAM coordinator. “Our children are not prepared,” Smith said as he rattled off statistics such as the United States ranking 23 out of 30 in the world in STEAM academics.
“This is a wake-up call,” Smith said, adding that parental involvement wanes after middle school because most are intimidated by the advance technology for STEAM programs such as LEGO League, Destination Imagination and Vex high school robotic team as extracurricular activities. Smith said the Tippecanoe STEAM Boosters was formed to support student achievement in the classroom much like parents form booster clubs for athletics. Smith said he would like to see the same support from the district for academic coaches as athletic coaches to build academics in the Tipp City community. According to Smith, 40 students expressed interest in LEGO Leagues last year but no parents or other community members volunteered to help coach the children. Smith also said he hopes to work with the board to “create a vehicle” for parental support and believes that if a stipend was offered for a teacher or staff member to help coordinate the programs in the school, more interest and organization for STEAM programs would follow. Smith hopes that a member of the board would help the organization develop a 10 year plan to build STEAM programs within the district. Smith commended Tipp City Schools’ Superintendent Dr. John P. Kronour for his support by attending all STEAM Booster meetings. In other board news: Kronour reported that the first meeting for a facilities committee was well attended with nearly 20 community members meeting to help the district with its five year facilities plan. Kronour said many of the participants had good questions and were eager to see the buildings and athletic grounds personally. “We’ll be working with our staff to see what they feel they are lacking in their classrooms,” Kronour said, adding that he is trying to pull together a preliminary plan by the summer. “We are asking teachers ‘Why can’t you do that you are about to do in the classrooms?’” If any one is interested in serving on the committee or planning process, contact the Tipp City School board of education office. Kronour also reported that the district will again offer open enrollment to adjacent districts for the 2010-2011 school year. The current school year was the district’s first as an open enrollment school. According to Kronour there were no incidents to report due to the open enrollment process that brought more than 27 students in to the district and with them, their state school funding. |
