According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, “STEM education is an integrated, interdisciplinary, and student-centered approach to learning the encourages curiosity, creativity, artistic expression, collaboration, computational thinking, communication, problem solving, critical thinking, and design thinking.

The Warren County School District has a brand new STEM lab and, starting with the 2021-2022 school year, will offer a multi-credit, multi-year educational track — the STEM Academy — through it.

“This was all designed around the idea of collaboration and 21st Century skills,” Principal Misty Weber said.

The plan is to bring students to the Academy just like students are brought to the Warren County Career Center — where the lab is housed.

Times Observer photo Brian Ferry Desks at the Warren County School District STEM Academy are designed to encourage collaboration.

Students from Warren Area High School will be able to walk over to the Academy. Those from Eisenhower, Youngsville, and Sheffield “can come in the morning on the career center bus,” Weber said. “As it grows, I would love to see it encompass a whole day.”

Students who are not taking three credits at the academy won’t have to miss other courses. “They can take it here (virtually) or at Warren Area High School,” Weber said.

“There are so many different tracks within the STEM program,” Weber said. “If a student finds their niche, they can go deeper and deeper.”

There are numerous modules already in the storage room at the STEM Academy — from audio and video engineering and architecture, to robotics, drones, and solar energy.

“If the kids really like it, maybe it will give them a career path they weren’t considering,” she said.

There is an introduction — an orientation and a tour of what’s available – that each student will have to go through.

After that, students will have some freedom to select what, and with whom, they work.

“The teacher doesn’t have to be doing one lesson for all the kids,” Weber said. “The kids will follow their own path and the teacher will be more of a facilitator. You get this in front of kids and they’ll figure it out.”

The lab is set up for up to 30 students at a time.

Next to the STEM lab is the new Virtual Academy lab.

The space will offer WiFi, electrical outlets, charging stations, and comfortable seating.

“I set it up to be a space for students to go to and feel comfortable,” Weber said.

There are a number of different types of chair/table/desk configurations to accommodate student preferences.

For now, the plan is to have the Academy open to students in grades 10, 11, and 12, Weber said, but “we’re open to expanding to ninth.”

The district will be arranging tours for students before the end of the school year. “We really want to get our high school students interested,” Weber said.

The district is working with Pointful Education and training is forthcoming for the teachers who will be in the Academy.