They did it again: Independence Elementary STEM was named a STEM School of Excellence for the fourth straight year. This annual award honors schools paving the way in STEM education, and Indy’s continued recognition establishes their position as a worldwide leader.

Over the past seven years, the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) has presented this honor to 103 schools globally. However, Indy is just one of 11 schools in the world that has maintained a four-plus year streak. 

What’s the key to this continued success? Independence’s ever-evolving commitment to not only sustaining, but continually refining, its instruction to provide students with the most relevant and engaging STEM experiences possible. 

At Indy, STEM concepts aren't contained to a single class or subject. Guided by the Engineering Design Process (Ask, Explore, Create, Evaluate, Explain, Share) and the 4Cs (Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, and Critical Thinking), STEM is integrated within all content areas throughout the school day.

For example, 3rd graders extend their science lesson about animal traits with a hands-on activity, investigating and observing “mystery skulls” in attempts to match the skull with the animal it belongs to.

Indy is also intentional about extending experiences beyond the school building, encouraging a community and global perspective to STEM learning. For example, the school pairs each classroom with a local community partner to engage with for various learning connections throughout the year. In addition, Indy fifth graders have the opportunity to attend Big Lake High School’s annual Youth Apprenticeship & Career Fair, which offers yet another bridge between STEM learning and career exploration.

Indy became an official STEM school in 2019, and since then staff have been constantly evaluating data and discovering new ways to evolve an already impressive program. Just this year, the school introduced a new computer programming class, coming as a direct response to curriculum gaps school leaders saw relating to technology skills and usage.

Indy will be acknowledged as a STEM School of Excellence at the annual ITEEA national conference this spring, and afterward will receive a certificate and banner to display.

To learn more about Independence’s STEM-driven instruction, visit indy.biglakeschools.org/academics/stem.