MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – A Myrtle Beach school is awarded certification as they prepare students for the 21st century, embracing STEM learning strategies in classrooms today, preparing innovative leaders for the future.
One of few to earn the Cognia STEM certification, the Christian Academy of Myrtle Beach is recognized for innovation in education. Over the last three to five years, the academy has worked to embrace a curriculum revolving around science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
The academy’s nearly 300 students from K through 12 receive a STEM learning experience focusing on 21st-century work, life, and skills.
Students often work in groups on projects preparing them to think through real-world problems to find solutions.
One stem initiative that teachers remind students is that there is not just one way to solve a problem instructing them to come up with multiple drafts and solutions.
“Many of these groups actually draft a plan A, plan B, and a plan C. When Plan A fails they go to plan B and see if they can recreate it and redesign it and it was quite effective in doing that,” Morina Martin, a Christian Academy of Myrtle Beach English teacher said.
Head of the academy, Katherine Cannon, tells News13, “students have a healthy competitive spirit while wanting everyone to succeed.”
“It’s not a ‘me’ focused the place it is ‘we’ focused. So that celebration of other people’s successes and the journey they take to get there is very motivating and exciting to see where they might head into the future,” Cannon said.
The head of the academy tells News13 the biggest difference since implementing stem learning is students taking the initiative to lead their own learning. Their goal is to create confident students moving into a future of innovation and forward-thinking.
