Education for the 21st century

What would make the future of the Tri-State brighter, more prosperous and more innovative?

Many answers might point to the exciting new economic developments, like Lawrence County’s The Point industrial park, or the plans for Huntington’s ACF site. Even remote work possibilities brought about in the post-COVID-19 economy are potential benefits.

While the “Rust Belt” effect of the 20th century has not been kind to our local economy, many leaders in the Tri-State are looking forward to revival in the 21st. But an important piece of the economic renewal puzzle is often overlooked: Education. How can our region reach new heights if educational institutions remain the same?

To ensure that the Tri-State has a strong base of innovative talent for innovative jobs, there needs to be an innovative education institution. Tri-State STEM+M Early College High School, has been pursuing this goal since the school’s opening in 2017. In education, STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

Founded by the late Dr. Scott Howard, TSS was created with the belief that new industrial investments alone could not build an economy nor a society. While innovation many times bypasses us here in the state’s most southerly county, TSS is a noticeable outlier in that trend, being the only accredited public STEM school in Southern Ohio.

This means that attending is free for any student of high school who is an Ohio resident and students can transfer in from anywhere in the county, or even the state. Explicitly created with cutting-edge jobs in mind, TSS seeks to fill an empty niche for nurturing the talent of tech-savvy innovators of our region.

STEM is not only a content focus, but is also a wholly different philosophy of education that is based on hands-on learning and problem-solving in the real world - in contrast to a dependence on standardized testing.

Located in South Point, TSS is always happy to host potential students for shadowing or tours to see if STEM learning is right for them. For students seeking extraordinary challenges in a tight-knit environment, with hands-on learning and the freedom to develop one’s own interests, the future of the Tri-State area is looking brighter with every semester.