Agawam High School adds STEM class options to curriculum

March 5, 2019 | Carling Willis
carling@thereminder.com

AGAWAM – Agawam High School has implemented a new program in their curriculum to enhance their students learning experiences and broaden their horizons post graduation. This year is the first year the high school has added STEM programming to their course options for students looking to explore a broad range of career options.

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The objective behind high schools like Agawam adding this programming to the curriculum is to expose students to STEM and give them opportunities to explore STEM-related notions, the hope being that they will develop a passion for it and continue on to pursue a further education or job in a STEM field.

The push to add STEM programs to Agawam High School came from the community. There has been a decline in students from Agawam continuing on to jobs involving advanced manufacturing, and businesses in Agawam are suffering due to that decline. The goal of adding the STEM programs to the curriculum is to expose Agawam students to other career options that are available in their town. The added courses that are available to all students interested at the high school will ideally be the link to those innovative pathways.

In order to accommodate the new courses, Agawam High School has refurbished some of their shop rooms with updated machinery, electrical work and venting. The shop rooms now are fit to provide students with the full learning experience these courses can offer.

“So far the feed back from the community has been overwhelming, said Assistant Superintendent, Sheila Hoffman. “As more knowledge has spread of what were doing, many donations are coming in, which is very exciting!”

There are over 100 students currently enrolled in the STEM classes at Agawam High School. The classes offered this year are; Plastics Processing Production, Computer Integrated Machining, CAD, Engineering, The Future Welding, Structural Engineering Agricultural Engineering, Woodworking, Graphic Arts.

The courses also offer field trips to give the students enrolled in the classes a glimpse at what a day in the life of that career would look like. The school provides field trips to specific job sites to give students a realistic look at where they could work if they pursue a job in that field. Some of the field trips also bring students to colleges or technical schools that they could attend after high school to further their education in a STEM career.

“We feel very lucky to be ahead of the curve,” Said Hoffman. “These programs are giving a lot more opportunities to our students.”

Since the beginning of the school year the numbers and class sizes have continued to grow as more students explore the alternative STEM options Agawam High School is now offering.

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