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Reminder: Applications for STEM Scale-Up Programs will open January 24.
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Northwest Regional Advisory Board Members
A special thank you to the STEM Advisory Board
of NW Iowa
Teresa Alesch, Emmetsburg
John Bedward, Storm Lake
Kathleen Bottaro, Sioux City
Derek Brower, Orange City
Beth Bunkers, Primghar
Eric Forseth, Sioux Center
Linda Gray, Everly
Nancy McDowell, Sheldon
Sherry McGill, Sergeant Bluff
Mary Trent, Carroll
Wade Weber, Spirit Lake
Mark Zabawa, Spencer
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Your Community -
Your Events
Learning happens inside and outside of the classroom.
Learning can happen to anyone at any age.
so
learning can happen anywhere, anytime, for anyone.
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STEM is the foundation for innovative problem-solving and discovery through exploratory learning. It is important for teachers, students, parents, businesses and communities to connect and have awareness, and access to world-class STEM education opportunities. In Northwest Iowa, we are committed to growing STEM education and opportunities.
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Northwest STEM Leadership Change
Since August of 2014, Northwest Iowa STEM has been under the care and feeding of the most capable Molly Faber. During her two-plus years at the helm of the Northwest Region for the Governor's STEM Advisory Council, Molly oversaw significant gains in participation across STEM programs, positioning the region as one of the most active and successful regions of the state.
Under the guidance of her very active Advisory Board, Molly set a regional record in educator applications for the STEM Scale-Up Program. She widened the region's communication web through ambitious social media strategies and established connections with hundreds of professionals in workforce development, business and education across the region. Iowa's Northwest STEM Region became known for strong participation in Iowa STEM Teacher Externships, Code Iowa, Re-designed Learning Environments (RLE) and Businesses Engaging Students and Teachers (BEST), as well as the I.O.W.A. STEM Teacher Award and of course outstanding community STEM festivals.
Molly also contributed mightily to several statewide efforts including the redesign of the STEM Council's website and maturation of the Active Learning (non-formal) Community. Her commitment to diversity in STEM was exemplified by bilingual communications tools and co-leading of the STEM Council's STEM Diversity working group. Thanks to remarkable support from her Board, co-chaired by John Bedward and Mary Trent, and her outstanding Hub institution Iowa Lakes Community College, Molly and her administrative assistant Janet Leifeld served the STEM Council superbly.
Molly Faber has accepted a position in her field of study back in her hometown in Minnesota. Iowa's STEM Council conveys a hearty farewell and good luck. Already, a triad of STEM Council members, regional STEM board members and ILCC faculty and staff are in hot pursuit of Molly's successor, determined not to skip a beat in the transition. Contact [email protected] with any thoughts, concerns or interests.
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Spirit Lake Elementary School receives Code Iowa Technology Award
December kicked off another year of celebrating computer science and the "Hour of Code" in Iowa. The STEM Council helped launch Code Iowa in partnership with Google, Verizon and NewBoCo, an effort to bring awareness and participation in the "Hour of Code" among Iowans.
Google and Verizon supported six Code Iowa technology awards worth $3,500 for one school or district in each of the six STEM regions. Spirit Lake Elementary School received the Northwest STEM Region's technology award, filling the school's hallways with more than 500 students to participate in the "Hour of Code" during Computer Science Education Week in early December.
It's a sight to see
[
check out the video here
].
The other five Code Iowa award recipients are Humboldt Community School District, Highland Elementary School in Waterloo, Knoxville Community School District, Tri-Center Middle School in Neola and Grant Wood Elementary School in Iowa City. Find out more about Code Iowa by visiting www.IowaSTEM.gov/CodeIowa.
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Spencer High School joins Iowa
STEM BEST® Network
Spencer High School is one of 18 school+business partnerships to join the Iowa STEM BEST® (Businesses Engaging Students and Teachers) Network.
The STEM Council awarded 10 new STEM BEST Partners that will transform typical K-12 classroom environments and methods to unite the workplace with the classroom and develop clear pathways from STEM education to STEM careers in the state. Along with the $25,000 awarded to each partner, they bring a total cost-share commitment of $566,234 and more than 60 business and community partners.
In Spencer High School's proposal, the school stated that students will travel to workplace sites for training and experiences that align with the community's industry demand in construction, health care, manufacturing and entrepreneurship.
STEM BEST is just one of many STEM Council programs that help meet Future Ready Iowa's goal of 70 percent of Iowa's workforce having education or training beyond high school by 2025. To find out more about the STEM BEST Network, please visit www.IowaSTEM.gov/STEMBEST.
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STEM Professional Development Night at Keumper
The third annual STEM Night at Kuemper will be held on February 23, 2017 from 5:00-8:00 PM at the Kuemper Catholic High School in Carroll, Iowa. This is an opportunity for teachers and administrators to learn more about the Iowa STEM Initiative (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Each of the six STEM regions receive $500,000 to award educators with exemplary, hands-on programs through the Council's STEM Scale-Up Program. The menu for 2017-18 will launch on January 24 from which educators can apply for one or more of the programs being offered.
Representatives from each STEM Scale-up Provider will be present to showcase the new programs. This is a wonderful opportunity for teachers, daycare providers, libraries, and after school programs to learn more about STEM and the awards that are available. Dinner will be provided free of charge for all that attend.
For more information, please contact Mary Trent, NW STEM Board Chair at [email protected].
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STEM Scale-Up 2017
Event in Spencer
Location: Prairie Lakes AEA, Spencer
Date: Monday, January 30
Time: 1:30 - 3:30pm
All educators are welcome.
- Explore the new Scale-Up Programs for 2017
- Receive tips on completing your Scale-Up application
- Learn about best practices when utilizing Scale-Up kits
For more information, contact Beth Bunkers at 712-957-5045 or [email protected]. |
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Check out NW STEM Website!
Northwest STEM Calendar
- Stay up-to-date on all Northwest STEM
regional opportunities and even a few state-wide. Use this calendar to share your STEM events with others.
Don't forget to connect with NW STEM on social media as well!
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