(Photo provided)

By DANI BARKEY,
Chief Accountability Officer
Warsaw Community School Corporation

During the Fall 2015 Indiana STEM Symposium (Connecting K-12 Schools and STEM Businesses Regionally) held at the Project Lead the Way Headquarters in Indianapolis, Washington STEM Academy was recognized in front of many prominent Indiana STEM business representatives.

Special guests at the presentation included Melissa Moritz, deputy director of STEM, United States Department of Education; Steve Braun, commissioner, Department of Workforce Development; and Vince Bertram, director of Project Lead the Way.

STEM Coach Ben Barkey stated “Without the dedication of our staff and students, this recognition would not be possible. The STEM certification is an important piece in our schools growth to become a leader in STEM education.”

Principal Tom Ray and STEM Coach Ben Barkey also facilitated a break-out session as a highlighted model of business-elementary school STEM integration. Washington STEM Academy was among the inaugural cohort named STEM Certified Schools by the Indiana Department of Education announced in July.

“As the principal of Washington STEM, this validates the hard work of our staff. We are excited of being a model STEM program that we can share with others,” shared Tom Ray.