Business partners will help FUSD expose students to the new curriculum at all grade levels.

By HILLARY DAVIS

Arizona Daily Sun

September 06, 2008

A handsome flower blooms atop a solid stem. That's the kind of image Flagstaff Unified School District Superintendent Kevin Brown has in mind as he begins to outline a strategic plan for the district's emerging Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or STEM, initiative.

A retreat in late August was the first major meeting and brainstorming session for the myriad entities behind the collaborative initiative, which seeks to enhance local students' readiness to tackle science and technology advancements in a complex modern world. "The next step for us is to put some meat on a strategic plan, which we plan to do over the next 30 to 45 days, and then we'll bring all of these folks back together and talk more about beginning to implement some of the strategies and objectives of the strategic plan, and identify the resources that are needed, and so forth," he said.

Brown said there is consensus for the community to be competitive in a skilled global setting, but that the school district can't handle the task all by itself. So local technology, business, research, government, philanthropy experts are lending their support.

The plan will include the development of curricula from preschool through the university level, and what kinds of training, resources and time commitment will be required for teachers. Organizers will also flesh out the public-private relationships between the schools and businesses, which will provide internship opportunities for students and teachers alike.

Loretta Mayer, an assistant research professor in NAU's Department of Biological Sciences and chairman of the Flagstaff biotech company SenesTech, Inc., said she is excited to be a partner in the plan. Mayer and her associates have recently been in the news for their development of a chemical spaying agent, which would control rodent, cat and dog populations.

"I think the only way that we as a community are going to be able to address STEM effectively is to have the burden spread across the community, not just placed on our educators and the schools. They need to hear from business people, and researchers need to have some input, and educators and the community at large," Mayer said. "I think if we get behind it we're probably going to have a very nice initiative up here."

STEM is a philosophy that will be spread across all schools and grade levels. It is not a specialized science/tech high school -- although Coconino High School, for example, has such a school- within-a-school, known as the Coconino Institute of Technology.

"STEM actually refers to science, technology, engineering, mathematics," Brown said. "But within STEM there is a very, very broad spectrum of jobs in research and so forth that science, technology, engineering and math are all important for."

Brown noted that all math plus no arts would equal no fun, and that broad backgrounds are helpful for innovative thinkers.

"So the STEM initiative in no way would be designed to limit the other academic disciplines or arts disciplines that are tremendously important for a well-rounded individual," he said.

Hillary Davis can be reached at 556-2261 or hdavis@azdailysun.com.

In July, Gov. Janet Napolitano announced the creation of the Arizona STEM Education Center, housed out of the Phoenix offices of the nonprofit Science Foundation Arizona.

One local connection to the state STEM office is Frank Garcia, principal of South Beaver Elementary School. He has been asked by the Governor's Office to serve on the STEM Steering Committee.

To see the Governor's announcement, go to:

http://www.azgovernor.gov/dms/upload/ NR_071508_STEMCenter.pdf

Locally, a non-exhaustive list of STEM partners includes the Flagstaff Unified School District, Coconino County Superintendent of Schools, Northern Arizona University, Coconino Community College, Arizona State University, the Helios Education Foundation, Willow Bend Environmental Education Center, Lowell Observatory, SenesTech, Inc., McCoy Motors, W.L. Gore, Arizona Public Service, Science Foundation Arizona, Arizona Community Foundation, Flagstaff Community Foundation, Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce, and the United Way of Northern Arizona.