Hampton City Schools Architecture & Applied Arts Governor’s STEM Academy
Project Lead: Hampton City Public Schools
Program Focus: The Architecture
& Applied Arts Governor’s STEM Academy will increase rigor in a small learning community of students, relate academic subjects to a career focus, and work to meet local and regional employer needs while engaging students in rigorous academic and technical STEM coursework. It will be the combination of fine arts and career and technical education with a focus relating to STEM, design, aesthetics, and function.
Academy Web Site: Hampton City Schools: Architecture & Applied Arts
Application: Board Of Education Approved Governor’s Academy Application (PDF)
Partnership Members: Hampton City Public Schools, Distinctive Magazine, ECPI College of Technology, Hampton University, New Horizons Regional Education Center, Newport News Shipbuilding, Peninsula Council for Workforce Development, Q-Design, Thomas Nelson Community College, and Walsh Electric.
Lead/Fiscal Agent: Hampton City Public Schools
Jesse W. White, Curriculum Leader
Career and Technical Education
Hampton City Schools
School Administration Center
One Franklin Street
Hampton, VA 23669-3570
Kecoughtan High School
Number of Students Served: The Governor’s STEM Academy will have the capacity to enroll 480 students, grades 9 -12. During the initial school year (2014-2015) 100 students will be admitted.
Career Pathways: Engineering and Technology, Design/Pre-Construction, Merchandising, Visual Arts
Academy Goals and Description: The goal of the Hampton City Public Schools Governor’s STEM Academy is to promote student achievement and interest in STEM-related career fields that prepares students for global competitiveness in high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand STEM careers.
The following program objectives and performance measures have been established by the Planning/Advisory Committee:
- 100 percent of the AAA Governor’s STEM Academy graduates will earn at least nine transferable credits through dual enrollment and/or Advanced Placement courses.
- 100 percent of students completing the AAA Governor’s STEM Academy will enroll in postsecondary programs or obtain employment in Architecture, Art, Engineering, Engineering Technology, Graphic Arts, Marketing or STEM-related careers.
- 100 percent of the AAA Governor’s STEM Academy students will successfully pass advanced mathematics coursework beyond Algebra II.
- 100 percent of the AAA Governor’s STEM Academy students will enroll and successfully complete four years of science courses.
- 100 percent of the AAA Governor’s STEM Academy will earn two or more Virginia Board of Education approved industry credentials.
- Increase the percentage of Governor’s STEM Academy students taking Algebra II by four percent over the next four years.
- Increase the percentage of Governor’s STEM Academy students scoring pass/advanced on mathematics and science end-of-course Standards of Learning tests by four percent over the next four years.
- Increase the number of postsecondary credits earned though dual enrollment, and Advanced Placement courses.
- Provide annually, one hundred percent of the Governor’s STEM Academy students with work-based learning experiences, through strong partnerships with local businesses.
- Decrease the dropout rate and increase the graduation rates from 89.5 percent to 92.9 percent by the year 2018.
- Increase the number of students completing a college and career readiness curriculum in high school by increasing enrollment and completion rates in the AAA Governor’s STEM Academy courses by five percent annually.
- Increase the number of industry certifications awarded to Governor’s STEM Academy students by five percent over the next four years.
- Increase the number of Governor’s STEM Academy graduates employed in high-wage, high-demand, and high-skill careers as determined by the Virginia Employment Commission by five percent over the next four years. The attainment of the measure will be determined by data provided by the Career and Technical Education follow-up survey, Virginia Employment Commission, and Weldon Cooper Center, University of Virginia.
Highlights of the Academy: As a result of participating in the Governor’s STEM Academy in the pathways of Engineering and Technology, Design/Pre-Construction, Merchandising and Visual Arts, students will:
- Gain a deeper understanding of the skills and knowledge incorporated in their fields of study;
- Benefit from specialized, project-based courses which develop critical-thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, preparing them for the 21stcentury world;
- Acquire greater communication skills;
- Develop workplace readiness skills;
- Receive opportunities to earn industry certifications preparing them to be more competitive in the work force and when applying to postsecondary institutions, or specialized technical training schools;
- Obtain meaningful, real-life, hands-on experiences in their career pathway; and
- Profit from opportunities for internships, mentorships, job shadowing, and cooperative education, which provide students with advantages when entering postsecondary education and/or the workplace.