Week to Focus on Coding for Students

In conjunction with code.org , Discovery School in Lancaster is planning activities to celebrate Computer Science Education Week for 9-13 December 2013.  Every student at the school will receive one hour of instruction in coding during the week, using projects such as Scratch and Alice.  Additionally, Lancaster School District IT Director Rebecca Cooksey will be giving STEM Academy students an overview of hardware, software and networking/server issues.  Teacher Mechelle Reynolds says, "I am passionate about [computer science], because I started coding in [high school] and I like to get the word out about how needy this field has become."

For more information about Computer Science Education Week, visit Computer Science Education Week 

Antelope Valley Hosts STEMPosium 10/1/13

Antelope Valley College (AVC), Cerro Coso College, Cal State Long Beach, Antelope Valley Union High School District (AVUHSD), the Greater Antelope Valley Economic Alliance (GAVEA), and the AV Board of Trade sponsored the 2^nd Annual Greater Antelope Valley STEMposium on Tuesday, 1 October 2013.  State and local dignitaries welcomed nearly 200 regional business and community members and educators in attendance at the event, which was held at The Hellenic Center in Lancaster.  

The STEMposium participants heard an engaging keynote address by LTG Ellen M. Pawlikowski (USAF), Commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center at the LA Air Force Base, on STEM as an American competitive advantage, as well as from Dr. Elaine Shen of Beacon Economics on STEM Workforce trends.  Other presentations included Dr. Tom O’Neil of AVC on connections between CTE and STEM, a STEM Academy Showcase by Betsy McKinstry and academy coordinators and students from the AVUHSD, as well as panel discussions by area education, industry, and young STEM professionals.  Display tables were staffed by Joe Walker Middle School robotics, Palmdale HS Health Careers Academy, PHS Falcon Academy of Sustainable Technologies, AV High School’s Green Enterprise Academy, and Knight HS Digital Design & Engineering Academy.

The 2^nd Annual Greater AV STEMposium was partially funded by a US Dept. Of Education HSI STEM grant. Christos Valiotis: Project Director-661-722-6300 x6024

New STEM-Focused High School Opens in San Bernardino

According to the Riverside Press-Enterprise, Indian Springs High School in San Bernardino opened last week with a focus on STEM and career academies.  The site will use a block schedule and other facilities modeling a community college campus to prepare students for post-secondary life.  The campus is being re-purposed from a middle school, and could eventually house up to 2,700 students at maximum capacity.  http://www.pe.com/local-news/san-bernardino-county/san-bernardino-county-headlines-index/20120817-san-bernardino-new-high-school-opens.ece

Scientific Research Class to Be Included in Thousand Oaks STEM Pathway

Thousand Oaks HS will feature its interdisciplinary college prep Scientific Research class as part of the new STEM Majors and Pathways program (also to be offered at other Conejo Valley Unified high schools).  AMGEN recently provided the class, currently taught by Dr. Nikki Malhotra, two $60,000 liquid chromatography machines to precisely identify chemical components of samples.  The students are preparing entries for the Ventura County Science Fair as part of their curriculum, ranging from chemistry and biology to music.  http://www.toacorn.com/news/2012-02-23/Schools/STEM_aims_to_show_students_how_science_applies_in_.html

Academy Aimed at Training Students to Fill Aerospace Manufacturing Positions

Hawthorne High School's Academy of Manufacturing and Engineering, located near Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and Raytheon, among others, in the LA South Bay, has received a $16,000 grant from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) to obtain equipment to help train students in manufacturing and engineering skills needed by the employers and to begin an after-school program.  Students who are members of the academy, 85% of whom are considered at-risk, can work on a computerized machine in the metals shop and are enthusiastic about designing and creating new machines. 

Due to the greying work-force, there is concern that the next generation of skilled workers is not being prepared to enter these jobs.  South Bay manufacturer SpaceX currently has 200 open positions.  In addition to backing high-school programs, SME is funding a new reality show pilot called "Edge Factor."  http://www.scpr.org/programs/madeleine-brand/2012/02/16/22561/aerospace-manufacturing-jobs-are-here-skilled-work

President Proposes Additional Community College CTE Funds

The President recently announced a proposal to add $8 billion in funding for a Community College to Career Fund for career-technical training partnering with business, focusing on sectors such as clean energy, health care, and manufacturing.  There would also be a component for on-line and brick-and-mortar training for entrepreneurs.  Education Secretary Arne Duncan cited Nevada community colleges as a model for the program which provides local direction to meet immediate local workforce development needs. 

In additional budget provisions, the President proposed to infuse an additional $1 billion into high school career academies and other secondary CTE programs, plus additional money into Race to the Top for K-12 education, including making funding available to individual districts.  http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/13/us-usa-budget-education-idUSTRE81C1Z620120213

Happy CTE Month 2012!

Knight High PLTW students work with wind tunnel

February is the annual commemoration of CTE (Career and Technical Education) Month around the US.  This year's theme is "Careers Through Education." Among other observances in the Antelope Valley, local field representatives from the offices of Congressman Buck McKeon (Jeff McElfresh), California Senator Sharon Runner (Lisa Moulton), Assemblyman Steve Knight (Sarah Tyndall), AVUHSD Board of Trustees President Donita Winn, AVUHSD Superintendent Dr. David Vierra, and other members of the business and education communities, visited the Falcon Academy of Sustainable Technologies (FAST) Academy and Health Careers Academy at Palmdale High School, as well as the Digital Design and Engineering Academy at Knight High School recently. 

PHS FAST students work in construction lab

Members of the Pasadena Educational Foundation are also scheduled to visit pre-engineering programs at Discovery School in the Lancaster School District as part of a presentation on the AV STEM pathways in grades K-20 later this week.



Pasadena Ed Fdn. and others visit Discovery School


The AV Higher Education Consortium and AVUHSD will be hosting a Parent and Student Symposium on 11 February from 8:00am to 1:00pm, including sessions on a variety of subjects including STEM-related careers and speakers.

Both Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman will be providing industry speakers to local classrooms during Engineering Week, 20-24 February.

The Antelope Valley Board of Trade is hosting its annual Business Outlook Conference on 24 February at the AV Fairgrounds, with Earvin "Magic" Johnson (boxing great "Sugar Ray" Leonard is now scheduled to speak, due to a conflict with the NBA All-Star Weekend) acting as the keynote speaker.  Local high school career academies will be having table displays regarding their programs.

Congratulations to all of the CTE educators, administrators, and industry partners in the Greater AV for being part of our celebrations!

For more information on CTE month around the US, visit http://www.acteonline.org/ctemonth.aspx#Challenge . 

Experts Believe Arts Should Be Added to STEM

As recently reported in Education Week, a number of experts opine that instruction in the arts not only engages and motivates students, but also sparks creativity and innovation; as a result, they believe that the "A" for art should be added into the STEM acronym to make STEAM.  The National Science Foundation and Department of Education have offered grants and conferences related to an art-science-design curriculum framework similar to that seen at a number of universities in recent years, marrying fine arts/design or business with engineering coursework.  Rhode Island Congressman James Langevin recently introduced a House resolution to highlight the relationship between the arts and STEM.  The article notes that the idea is not new, as pointed up by a 2008 study showing Nobel Laureates' proclivity for involvement in the arts.  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/12/01/13steam_ep.h31.html?qs=STEAM (registration required to read the full article)  Numerous examples of the intersection of art and science in school programs are given in the article.

In the Antelope Valley Union High School District, the marriage of art and STEM is shown through the existence of such programs as the Digital Design & Engineering Academy at Knight High School and the FAST (Falcon Academy of Sustainable Technologies) Academy at Palmdale High School, and multimedia programs at many school sites; the AVUHSD is also a participant in the AV Chambers' ArtSTEM Fair held twice per year at the Van Dam Pavilion at the AV Fairgrounds (next event scheduled for Sunday, 6 May).

Applied Technology Center HS Opens in Montebello

Montebello Unified School District opened a new $30 million Applied Technology Center high school for the 2011-2012 academic year; it features five academies: engineering; construction trades; health and human services; law and government; and hospitality and tourism.  The principal of the new school is Trish Lockhart, formerly of Antelope Valley High School.  http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_18838197

For a follow-up article on the community partnerships in place at the site, visit http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_18974538