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Berwick presenters spotlight STEM initiatives, pre-apprenticeships and a new 'Innovation Lab' course
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Summary
District presenters described expanded STEM in elementary grades, a pre-apprenticeship at Pennsylvania College of Technology, student-led grant projects in middle school, and a planned ninth-grade Innovation Lab next year.
A district presenter outlined curricular and extracurricular expansions aimed at hands-on learning across grade levels at the Berwick Area School District.
The presenter (S3) said the district’s comprehensive planning process asked “What does our dream school look like?” and led to a revised mission and vision organized around three strategic goals that are guiding curricular choices.
Elementary highlights included a We Will Build a Better engineering curriculum, an Eco Cups after-school club, mobile-planetarium visits and partnerships with the Pennsylvania Game Commission. At the middle-school level, S3 said fifth-graders completed a student-driven project cycle that included identifying a need, designing a solution and winning a grant to revamp outdoor recess space.
In high school, students are participating in a 60-hour Pennsylvania College of Technology Advanced Manufacturing pre-apprenticeship that yields credentials from the college and the state Department of Labor and Industry. S3 also said 11 district teachers are participating in a fully funded PDE STEM endorsement program to deepen instructional capacity.
S3 announced a proposed ninth-grade yearlong course called Innovation Lab, Technology Trades in the Future, a flexible design that would allow students to participate in several 45-day experiences focused on career exploration and hands-on trades instruction.
S3 invited board members and the public to upcoming events, including a regional Junior Achievement Inspire day and a pop-up playground for first- and second-graders on April 22. The presenter said a legislator visit is scheduled to observe the empowerment collaborative work next week.
