A STREAM school is one whose educational philosophy involves combining the following subject areas (science, technology, religion, engineering, arts, math) into real world and relevant experiences for all students rather than teaching them as stand alone subjects.  The teaching staff work together to create a school culture that is positive and encouraging which results in students feeling comfortable to be creative and expressing their ideas. St. Luke students learn to brainstorm ideas to solve real problems, listen and collaborate with their peers and build models to solve problems.  Students get experience presenting their ideas and models to their peers, inviting thoughts and feedback and then refining their models with the constructive criticism provided by their peers. Example STREAM problems typically involve an opportunity to demonstrate compassion to others in need.  During one STREAM Academy, students learned about refugees and the many scenarios where families have to leave their homes and live in tent camps.  Students were challenged to design and build a portable farm kit that would allow families to grow a limited amount of fresh produce to add to their nutrition and also give them a sense of purpose with something to nurture and tend to.  St. Luke students researched varieties of fruit and vegetables native to different refugee areas, brainstormed materials that might be available in camps and built prototypes of different farm kits. This STREAM Academy combined different grades and the entire school was able to build models and present them to their peers during a gallery walk. Our class sizes are small, which allows us to do long term projects and work together across grades. Our younger learners bring imagination and endless ideas, whereas our older students are proficient using tools and keeping projects on track. Everyone has an important role to play!

Laura Kelly

Middle School Science Teacher

STREAM Coordinator