STEM seeks teacher input

Since they will have the most contact and the most influence in how Lenoir County’s youth learn science, technology, engineering and math, more than 600 local teachers were invited to give their input for the ongoing STEM process Thursday.

“They will have an opportunity to take ownership of this process and give (their) input,” said Lenoir County Schools Superintendent Terry Cline.

Cline brought the elementary, middle and high school teachers — along with assorted principals and central office administrators — to the Performing Arts Center at Kinston High School on Thursday to hear from Karl Rectanus, leader of the N.C. STEM Community Collaborative, and then share their ideas on how STEM can best be applied in Lenoir County.

“Teachers are the No. 1 critical factor … you are on the ground; you are doing this every day,” Rectanus told the teachers.

The STEM initiative is a nationwide effort to develop the best methods to teach science, technology, engineering and math skills to students so they can be prepared for the job market of the future.

“This is not just an education issue,” Rectanus said. “This is a global competitiveness issue.”

In North Carolina, STEM collaborations are taking place in Lenoir County, Davie County and the 11-county BRAC region around Ft. Bragg.

“This is community-led,” Rectanus said of the collaborations. “This is not coming from Raleigh.”

Brian Corey, who teaches band at Rochelle Middle School, said STEM will “put Lenoir County on the leading edge as far as student development and education.”

STEM organizers have stressed that the four skills are not just applicable to jobs in those fields, but many other professions, from farming to plumbing to music.

Corey said having a music technology center in the schools, where they could learn to compose music with the latest software and hardware, “would allow students to be able to express themselves in the arts and compete in the entertainment industry.”

For Northwest Elementary School principal Tina Letchworth, STEM “is going to be a partnership between all stakeholders … from pre-K all the way to the older generation.

“It’s going to put Lenoir County on the map for everybody to see what we’re doing here.”

David Anderson can be reached at 252-559-1077 or danderson@freedomenc.com.