Zone 18
No. 14 Vol. 5
New View Media Group • 1-800-691-7549
March 14, 2018
STEM Academy Steers Students To College And Careers They Prefer
T
By Cheryl Conway hree seniors at Pequannock Township High School are nearing the completion of their three year participation in the school’s STEM Academy. The first of the 61 students to go through the entire program, the trio will each present their projects and internship experiences in April at the year-end presentation in front of school faculty, other students in the STEM Academy and the community. They got involved in the academy as sophomores at the onset of this unique program that aims at preparing students for 21st century college and careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. Participation in this specialized program offers students a sneak peek into specific fields to help guide them into fields they would like to pursue in college and future profession.
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“A student gets into college, great, often they go into one major then decide to change direction,” explains Paul P. Kobliska, supervisor of Science, Technology, and Business at Pequannock Township School District. The STEM Academy allows students to “go in eyes wide open,” a better approach, “rather than spend $60,000 then decide you want to pursue a different field/major.” Established three years ago during the 2014/2015 school year, the PTHS STEM Academy idea was designed by Dr. Brett Charleston, superintendent of the Pequannock Twp. Schools, Kobliska, and Richard Murek, STEM Academy teacher/advisor. The program has been coordinated by Kobliska and Dr. Alicia Scelso, PTHS principal. Murek and Robert Lockatell, who teach technology and computer classes at the high school, have been instrumental in the classroom. Equipment used regularly throughout the program includes VEX Robotics, to allow students to create robots and complete tasks; 3D printers; a laser cutter, chromebooks, Program Inventor and AutoCAD, says Kobliska. While there are other academies offered in Morris County specializing in programs for medical or technology, Kobliska is unaware of any other public high school that offers an academy that hones in on the STEM fields. “We integrate mostly engineering
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Mitchell Ortega, grade 12, works on his STEM Academy project.
practices and processes,” says Kobliska, to introduce students ways in which the job market and world is changing as far as technology. Students will learn about coding, for example, “to see what it’s like before college.” In his program brochure, Kobliska points out: “Between 2009 and 2015, the number of new STEM jobs grew at a rate more than double that of non-STEM jobs. There were nearly 8.6 million STEM jobs in May 2015, representing 6.2 percent of U.S. employment.” He says, according to the Jan. 2017 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “The architectural, engineering, and related services industry is projected to grow by 8.0 percent from 2014 to 2024.” continued on page 2