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Socorro ISD receives National Certificate for STEM Excellence; district cites three campuses and 97 certified staff
Summary
SOCORRO ISD said it received the National Certificate for STEM Excellence from the National Institute for STEM Education, noting three STEM-certified campuses and 97 teachers and administrators with national STEM credentials. A student and district leaders spoke at a ceremony celebrating the recognition.
SOCORRO Independent School District announced it received the National Certificate for STEM Excellence from the National Institute for STEM Education, a district news statement said. The district described the award at a special ceremony where leaders accepted a plaque recognizing the systemwide achievement.
District officials highlighted that three campuses are STEM-certified and that 97 teachers and administrators have earned national certificates for STEM teaching. The district said it is the only district in West Texas and the third in the country to earn the certification; that claim was made by district representatives at the ceremony and is reported here as their statement.
A district staff member explained why the district emphasizes early STEM exposure, saying the earlier students encounter STEM instruction "the better off they're going to be in the future and they'll be more marketable once they graduate from high school and college." The staff member framed elementary-level programming as deliberate preparation for future job markets in science, technology and mathematics.
A student who spoke at the event described a multiyear involvement in robotics: "I've been robotics since fifth grade in elementary school. I started off with the little ones to Legos and then ever since then I just moved up through middle school doing these as well and high school being encouraged by just the big huge robot," the student said, adding they feel proud to have contributed to the district's STEM status.
At the ceremony an administrator called the gathering "a beautiful celebration, a beautiful coming together of the work of so many people here in the district" and said "SOCORRO ISD is all in for their students ... and for STEM education." The National Institute for STEM Education presented district leaders with a plaque signifying the achievement.
The district did not provide additional documentation in the ceremony transcript to independently verify the national-ranking claim; reporters or readers seeking verification should consult the National Institute for STEM Education or district communications for supporting materials. The ceremony closed with music; no further actions or next steps were specified in the record.
