Martinsville City Public Schools
Long known for its innovation in education, the Martinsville City Public Schools, or MCPS has partnered with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to bring the Science, Engineering, Mathematics, and Aerospace Academy to the city of Martinsville, VA.
Established in the Fall of 2002, the NASA SEMAA Project at Martinsville Middle School is a math and science enrichment program that uses the unique resources of NASA to provide students with a better understanding of and greater appreciation for science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM. SEMAA features the Aerospace Education Laboratory, an extraordinary, computer enhanced, learning environment that puts real aerospace hardware and software at the fingertips of middle school students. The Project uses proven curriculum enhancement activities provided by NASA and focuses on inquiry-based learning.
Locally based at Martinsville Middle School, the NASA SEMAA Project is an integral component of the school's curriculum and is offered to students during their regular academic day. As an important part of the school's "exploratory wheel," 6th- and 7th-grade students can choose to enroll in the SEMAA project for a 12-week block while 8th-grade students can elect to participate in a one-semester exploratory course.
The NASA SEMAA Project at Martinsville Middle School makes it possible for local 6th- through 8th-grade students to significantly improve their math and science literacy by conducting real-world experiments, and learning to gather, analyze, and apply information.
The documented success of the NASA SEMAA project at Martinsville Middle School has prompted district officials to expand the project to other area schools in recent years. The addition of both Patrick Henry Elementary and Albert Harris Elementary Schools has made it possible to give students in grades 1-5 an early start on their STEM education. Participating elementary and middle school teachers are able incorporate the NASA SEMAA lessons directly into their science curriculums, thus supporting the district's mission to enhance teachers' focus on the Virginia Standards of learning.
Martinsville City Public Schools SEMAA Web site:
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Calendar of Events
June 10 - 14, 2013
June 17 - 21, 2013
Ms. Anne H. Stultz
21st Century Programs Coordinator
NASA SEMAA Site Director
201 Brown Street
Martinsville, VA 24112