Suffolk to open Booker T. Washington STEM Academy in August 2025 after Old Dominion lab‑school approval

At its April 10 meeting, the Suffolk City School Board received a planning update on the STEM Academy to be housed at Booker T. Washington Elementary School and presented in partnership with Old Dominion University.

Dr. Akima Branch, chief academic officer, told the board the division’s lab‑school proposal was approved by the Virginia Board of Education and that Booker T. Washington will host a school‑within‑a‑school focused on STEM integration. “We will be serving 20 students in grade levels K through 5 — 20 students per grade level for a total of 120 students,” Branch said, and she described the current year as a planning year with an August 2025 launch.

Why it matters

The Booker T. Washington STEM Academy is the only elementary lab school approved so far in Virginia. The district says it aims to create a pipeline into existing Project Lead The Way (PLTW) programs at higher grade levels by introducing hands‑on, design‑thinking instruction in K–5.

Curriculum and operations

Instructional specialist Rachel Hersh Brooks described a curriculum that blends Virginia Standards of Learning with interdisciplinary STEM units, daily use of design‑thinking steps (empathize, ideate, prototype, test), and Project Lead The Way modules adapted for elementary grades. The school includes flexible “design spaces,” a STEM lab with 3‑D printers and maker equipment, and an emphasis on student agency and community partnerships.

Old Dominion University’s role and enrollment

Old Dominion is the fiscal agent for the planning grant and the program; Branch said the university will manage grant funds, oversee an executive director and an associate director, and hire a program manager to build community partnerships and sustainability. Enrollment ran through an ODU‑managed lotteries system: the district opened applications Feb. 3 and closed Feb. 28; the system randomly selected 20 students per grade from more than 300 applicants. Families had two weeks to confirm seats; the division reported wait lists for each grade.

Tuition for out‑of‑division students

Board members asked about non‑SPS students in the selected cohort. Dr. Branch said state law permits lab schools to charge tuition for students who live outside the school division and noted that the school will not provide transportation for out‑of‑division students. The legal citation for that allowance is Code of Virginia §22.1‑349.3, which governs college partnership laboratory schools and authorizes tuition for students who do not reside within the school division.

Next steps

Staff are hiring the instructional designers (teachers) and teacher assistants for each grade and are finalizing curriculum “storylines” that integrate SOL expectations with project episodes throughout the school year. The division will begin staggered outreach and community partner development through the Old Dominion program manager and plans to brief the board on implementation milestones.

Quotes (selected)

“We are the only elementary school lab school in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” — Dr. Akima Branch, chief academic officer.

“Students will be involved in design thinking daily ... they will be going through the process of being able to empathize, ideate, prototype, and test out their designs,” — Rachel Hersh Brooks, STEM instructional specialist.

Ending

The STEM Academy is in a planning year for 2024–25 and will open to students August 2025 with 120 seats. Old Dominion University will manage grant funds as fiscal agent; the district says it will continue regular updates as staffing, curriculum and community partnerships are finalized.