Battle Creek STEM Innovation Center Brochure - 2020
Learn more at www.battlecreekpublicschools.org/BCSTEM
Learn more at www.battlecreekpublicschools.org/BCSTEM
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BATTLE CREEK <strong>STEM</strong> INNOVATION CENTER: 6 TH - 8 TH GRADE<br />
Empowering Students to<br />
Transform The World
At BC <strong>STEM</strong><br />
<strong>Innovation</strong> <strong>Center</strong>,<br />
Students Think<br />
Differently<br />
The <strong>Battle</strong> <strong>Creek</strong> <strong>STEM</strong> <strong>Innovation</strong><br />
<strong>Center</strong> (BC <strong>STEM</strong>, for short) is a new<br />
kind of middle school. At BC <strong>STEM</strong>, we<br />
see our students as innovators.<br />
We empower every innovator to ask questions<br />
and explore possibilities. Students research,<br />
collaborate, and learn new ways of thinking.<br />
Through our integrated curriculum, students<br />
experience every school subject through the<br />
lens of creative exploration. Our innovators<br />
develop critical thinking skills to help them<br />
create real solutions to the problems that matter<br />
to our students and to our community.<br />
WHAT IS <strong>STEM</strong>?<br />
<strong>STEM</strong> — which stands for science,<br />
technology, engineering and math — is<br />
our nation’s fastest-growing career field.<br />
Here at BCPS, we want to ensure that<br />
our students are well prepared for higher<br />
education and careers in these industries.<br />
Using an integrated <strong>STEM</strong> program,<br />
our students learn in a whole new way.<br />
Hands-on projects help them examine<br />
questions and problems through an<br />
engineering and technology lens in order<br />
to create innovative ideas and solutions.
THE<br />
INNOVATOR<br />
EXPERIENCE<br />
BC <strong>STEM</strong> students<br />
experience <strong>STEM</strong><br />
throughout the day,<br />
not just in science or<br />
math class.<br />
The <strong>STEM</strong> model encourages<br />
students to constantly draw<br />
from prior experiences to<br />
apply that knowledge in new,<br />
innovative ways. BC <strong>STEM</strong><br />
students create — they take<br />
apart and build motors and<br />
machines, they code and<br />
create games and apps, and<br />
explore the world around<br />
them through innovation.<br />
<strong>STEM</strong> is not a special<br />
class or club; it is the key<br />
aspect of student learning<br />
every day.<br />
Our innovators learn traditional middle<br />
school subjects like social sciences and<br />
English in the context of <strong>STEM</strong> projects,<br />
to encourage innovation in every<br />
subject. These projects allow students to:<br />
• Build reflective inquiry and<br />
problem solving skills.<br />
• Use innovation and creative<br />
thinking to envision, design and<br />
test solutions.<br />
• Gain hands-on experience through<br />
activities like designing bridges,<br />
building communication devices and<br />
programming LEGO taskbots.<br />
• Learn everything from<br />
programming to physical<br />
computing to<br />
HTML/CSS as they build their<br />
own websites, devices, and so<br />
much more.<br />
• Develop their understanding of<br />
engineering and design, as they<br />
take apart objects to learn how they<br />
function and begin to build their<br />
own models.
OUTDOOR<br />
EDUCATION<br />
FOR SIXTH<br />
GRADE<br />
STUDENTS<br />
BC <strong>STEM</strong> sixth grade<br />
students will enjoy<br />
weekly visits to our<br />
Outdoor Education<br />
<strong>Center</strong> to experience<br />
hands-on science<br />
activities, solve<br />
problems in teams,<br />
encounter wildlife<br />
and learn key skills<br />
in outdoor recreation<br />
which will be useful in<br />
all aspects of life.<br />
Students will:<br />
• Learn teamwork,<br />
collaboration, risk taking,<br />
decision-making and<br />
conflict resolution through<br />
group activities like canoeing,<br />
creating remotely-operated<br />
vehicles and working together<br />
to navigate the outdoors using<br />
maps, compasses and radios.<br />
• Build important outdoor<br />
skills like fire building, shelterbuilding<br />
and plant and<br />
animal identification.<br />
• Conduct field research<br />
data/sample collection<br />
through activities like bird<br />
counting and observation and<br />
a long-term pond study.<br />
• Experience unique and<br />
challenging physical<br />
education activities like<br />
a high ropes course and<br />
tower climb.
STATE-OF-THE-ART<br />
FACILITIES<br />
BC <strong>STEM</strong>’s advanced facilities offer our innovators excellence,<br />
adaptability, and growth to encourage student-led inquiry<br />
throughout the day — inside and outside the classroom.<br />
Our classrooms include digital<br />
collaborative whiteboards<br />
called Jamboards which<br />
make it easy for students to<br />
collaborate and share ideas,<br />
and create and innovate<br />
without boundaries.<br />
Our laboratories are fullyequipped<br />
with everything our<br />
students need to explore and<br />
discover, including compound<br />
microscopes, Chemistry start-up<br />
chemicals, a class set of field/<br />
stream waders, and much more.<br />
BC <strong>STEM</strong> is a one-to-one school, meaning each<br />
innovator is issued a Google Chromebook<br />
computer to take home.<br />
This initiative extends opportunities for them to learn<br />
about technology in a supervised and controlled<br />
environment and to practice appropriate digital<br />
citizenship skills, opening up a world of learning<br />
everywhere they go.
“WHAT STUDENTS<br />
ARE SAYING:<br />
BC <strong>STEM</strong> helps me understand things that will help me in life and<br />
use knowledge to help in the future and support our community.<br />
BC <strong>STEM</strong> always teaches us<br />
above and beyond.<br />
It is always a challenge and my<br />
teachers help me understand<br />
what I don’t know.<br />
If the world were in trouble, our BC<br />
<strong>STEM</strong> team would have the smarts to<br />
overcome our problems — and we<br />
would all work together to do it.<br />
At my old school(s) there are things I am doing now that I’d never dream of doing.<br />
I am an<br />
innovator<br />
meaning I<br />
help solve real<br />
world problems.<br />
WHAT FAMILIES<br />
ARE SAYING:<br />
My grandson is thriving, excited and happy to go to school.<br />
I love the technical and computer-based aspects of their learning experience!<br />
I have two sons attending and they absolutely love it! The staff is amazing<br />
and welcoming! The classes are a great learning atmosphere.<br />
My boys are able to experience new things and they have<br />
learned a lot in a short period of time. I am impressed and look forward to<br />
next year already!<br />
Staff is very involved<br />
with students and families. My daughter had a<br />
rough year last year but she loves her school,<br />
teachers and classmates this year. I’m extremely<br />
impressed and would definitely recommend.
COME JOIN US!<br />
All students in the <strong>Battle</strong> <strong>Creek</strong> area are<br />
encouraged to apply. Learn more about how to<br />
apply at battlecreekpublicschools.org/BC<strong>STEM</strong><br />
<strong>Battle</strong> <strong>Creek</strong> <strong>STEM</strong> <strong>Innovation</strong> <strong>Center</strong><br />
100 West Van Buren Street<br />
<strong>Battle</strong> <strong>Creek</strong>, MI 49017<br />
269. 213.3513<br />
Facebook.com/steminnovationcenter