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Bondurant-Farrar Receives STEM BEST Program Award

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

January 16, 2020

 

Bondurant-Farrar Receives STEM BEST Program Award

 

As part of the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council initiative to bring teachers and industry professionals together to help prepare students for STEM careers, Bondurant-Farrar Community School District (BFCSD) was selected to be a 2019 STEM BEST (Businesses Engaging Students and Teachers) Program Partner. BFCSD and twelve other new or expanded partnerships were selected to receive up to $25,000 each.

 

The STEM Best Program supports school-business partnerships that allow teachers and industry professionals to work side-by-side on curriculum and projects that give students actual workplace experience and an understanding of the opportunities and required skills for careers in STEM fields. STEM BEST has also laid the groundwork for other successful statewide initiatives such as Future Ready Iowa’s Work-Based Learning Clearinghouse. 

 

At BFCSD, the STEM BEST Program will take a multipronged approach to engaging students and teachers with businesses in the area. At the elementary level, BFCSD students will learn about careers that tie to the content they are learning about. At the middle school and high school, BFCSD students will be taking time to learn about careers through targeted activities such as career fairs and mock interviews. Additionally, the Bondurant-Farrar High School be adding a class that works to solve problems in the community, at businesses, and for non-profits.

 

“This program is meant to bridge the gap between businesses and education,” said Donovan Hill, District STEM Coordinator at BFCSD. “The school district is excited to work with local businesses in order to continue to provide the best education for our students.”  

 

To be considered for a STEM BEST Program award, applicants were required to submit a comprehensive proposal that incorporates rigorous and relevant STEM curriculum, valuable partnerships with community businesses or organizations, real-world learning opportunities and expertise at the post-secondary education and training level. These awardees will serve as a model to share unique perspective, strengths, demographics and program focus with other schools throughout Iowa.

 

Participating employer partners contribute to a dollar-for-dollar match with some going above and beyond the cost-share requirement. The awards can be used for the curriculum development and coordination, educator training and development in workplace-classroom integration and preparing the work-based learning environment.

 

The 2019 STEM BEST Program awardees are:

 

  • BCLUW Community School District in the North Central STEM Region
  • Bondurant-Farrar Community School District in the South Central STEM Region
  • Cedar Rapids Community School District in the Southeast STEM Region
  • Clarinda Community School District in the Southwest STEM Region
  • Clear Lake Community School District in the North Central STEM Region
  • Griswold Community School District in the Southwest STEM Region
  • Jesup Community School District in the Northeast STEM Region
  • MMCRU Community School District in the Northwest STEM Region
  • New Hampton Community School District in the Northeast STEM Region
  • Saint Albert Catholic Schools in the Southwest STEM Region
  • Stanton Community School District in the Southwest STEM Region
  • Waterloo Community School District in the Northeast STEM Region
  • West Des Moines Community School District in the South Central STEM Region

 

A total of 63 STEM BEST partnerships have been established since the program launched in 2014. For more information about the STEM BEST Program, visit www.IowaSTEM.gov/STEMBEST.

 

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Governor’s STEM Advisory Council
Established in July 2011 via Governor’s Executive Order, the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council is a public-private partnership of educators, companies, and Iowa students and families addressing policies and programs designed to improve Iowa’s educational system focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The STEM Council works to engage and prepare students for a career-ready workforce path, regain our State’s historic leadership position in education, and provide a vital competitive economic advantage now, and for the future, to ensure that every Iowa student has access to world-class STEM education opportunities. The 50-member Council is chaired by Governor Kim Reynolds and Accumold president and CEO Roger Hargens. For more information, visit www.IowaSTEM.gov.

 

Bondurant-Farrar Community School District

BFCSD is committed to providing students with optimal opportunities to succeed socially, emotionally and academically. Frequently recognized as being high-achieving, the district takes pride in providing top-notch educational resources for students and staff. Technology is largely integrated into student learning at all grade levels, with 1:1 initiatives in place for grades 3-12 and an approximate 2:1 learning environment in grades K-2.