STEAM stands for (S) Science, T(Technology), E(Engineering), A(Art), and M(Mathematics).
The State of Ohio Department of Education recognized St. Paul School as an Ohio Designated STEAM School in the spring of 2019. At the time of designation, St. Paul was one of only 65 public and private schools across the state of Ohio to receive this honor. St. Paul is the first STEAM school in the Diocese of Columbus, and only the third non-public school to receive STEAM designation statewide.
STEAM designation is a joint effort of the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio STEM Learning Network, and Battelle Memorial Institute. The Ohio STEM Committee is a panel of policymakers, agency directors, and business leaders that review applications for state designation as an Ohio STEM school. Extra requirements regarding the arts and humanities must be met by schools applying for the STEAM designation.
Being a STEAM school is truly a team effort. The St. Paul faculty has welcomed STEAM elements into the curriculum. Teachers accept the goals, purpose, and use of the STEAM lab/makerspace as part of their teaching. Students adopt the growth mindset and the Engineering Design Process and come to the STEAM Lab to collaborate, communicate, and create. The St. Paul STEAM Advisory Board offers strong support, and our community partnerships are key to maintaining this designation. All these factors combined to meet the standards set by the Ohio STEM committee.
The St. Paul STEAM program is marked by our consistent focus on exposing our students to outside experts, organizational leaders, and career professionals. Whether students are conducting fieldwork outside the school at various organizations or we are bringing the experts in house, we seek to increase awareness and excitement about 21st-century careers.
Along this same vein and realizing that computer science is fundamental to career readiness, our STEAM teacher and technology directors started three programs to build these skills: a LEGO Robotics team, a Coding Club, and 3-D printing team, all available to 5th-8th students. Through these programs and the continued integration of computer science across the curriculum, we hope to prepare students for the careers of tomorrow.