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Lenoir County Public Schools touts three State STEM recognitions; district leads state this year
Summary
At its Sept. 8 meeting the Lenoir County Board of Education highlighted three schools — Northwest Elementary, EB Frank Middle and Continuous Savannah K‑8 — that were named STEM Schools of Distinction by the North Carolina State Board of Education, one of the state’s highest K‑12 recognitions.
Lenoir County Public Schools celebrated three of its schools on Sept. 8 after the North Carolina State Board of Education recognized Northwest Elementary, EB Frank Middle and Continuous Savannah K‑8 as STEM Schools of Distinction.
District representatives told the board that only 11 schools statewide received the designation this year and that LCPS accounted for three of them. "Northwest Elementary earned the designation of model school," a district presenter said, and EB Frank Middle and Continuous Savannah were recognized at the "prepared" level. The recognitions included banners and state‑level ceremonies in Raleigh.
Why it matters: the designation is competitive and intended to highlight schools that have embedded science, technology, engineering and math across grade levels. District leaders said the recognition both rewards grant‑funded innovations — including gardens, greenhouses and student‑run enterprises — and positions the recognized campuses as models to help other LCPS schools develop STEM culture.
Presenters from the three schools described classroom practices and community partnerships. Northwest staff described STEM family nights, science fair growth and a teacher‑written grant program that funded gardens and a greenhouse. Continuous Savannah emphasized project‑based learning, daily technology integration and high student collaboration; EB Frank highlighted project‑based learning, community partnerships and a history lab that ties humanities to inquiry skills.
District staff outlined next steps: each recognition lasts three years, and the recognized schools will focus on sustaining their STEM culture while serving as models for other campuses. The district also plans applications from six additional schools this December for site visits in 2026.
"With greater networking and collaboration within your district, state and across the nation, the team is excited to see your infectious culture expand," a reviewer quoted in the presentation wrote about LCPS’s STEM work.
The district said much of the hands‑on STEM work is funded by teacher‑written competitive grants and community donations. Board members congratulated students, teachers and leaders and discussed ways to sustain and scale the practices across the district.
