In recent years, our education system has moved away from the arts toward the sciences, a switch that is arguably appropriate given that careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) have grown at almost twice the rate of others. Calvary Christian Academy, however, does not impose a choice is between art or science, but rather provides opportunities for students to focus on either or both. We also have Custom school canopy designs that provide comfortable outdoor areas for pupils to learn and play, no matter the weather.
As a school with a strong focus on the arts, athletics, academics, and spiritual discipleship, the Fort Lauderdale PreK through 12th grade school has made significant investments to stay on the cutting edge by integrating technology across the board, from elementary school through high school.
“The STEM Endorsement program offers biomedical and engineering tracks that go beyond the more abstract general science classes to be hands-on and practical, like you’d see in the field, so that students can be ahead of the curve by the time they leave high school and head for college. For me and the counseling team handling the schedule, it’s the STEM classes that fill up first,” said CCA’s Lead School Counselor, Will Ortiz.
Technological advancement has left no stone unturned, be it culturally or educationally, and as a result, CCA considers the investment not only worthwhile but essential in order to produce the highest trained students in the STEM space, who are also equipped to serve their world and understand how these elements need to be integrated into that world.
“One of the things I love about having a STEM program is how it facilitates very 21st-century skills: learning to problem-solve, learning to fail in constructive ways, learning to think outside the box and be creative, and to work in teams, and we’re teaching them even in elementary, said Laura Quinn, CCA’s STEM Coordinator and Assistant High School Administrator. “And not just in high school. After a successful pilot program last year, we introduced a full STEM curriculum—Project Lead The Way—from Pre-K – 5th grade, that touches on engineering, programming, robotics, and biomedical sciences.”
These are not your computer classes of even 5 years ago!
“This year, the engineering lab got 20 very high end Dell computers, thousands of dollars worth of software, tens of thousands of dollars in robotics gear, a 3D printer, and lots of power tools,” said STEM Head of Department, Jeff Green. Because of investments like this, students get a jumpstart on discovering their academic and career passions, whether they want to be a brilliant surgeon, an engineer—or an artist. Graduate students may start looking on STEM related jobs. They can start by checking out the LinkedIn profile of Google’s Director of STEM Education Strategy, Kamau Bobb.
With Microsoft’s HoloLens, users can interact with holograms in mid-air that they can see while wearing a proprietary headset that merges virtual reality with the physical world. “I believe it’s going to revolutionize the art classroom,” said Mark Merrill, who teaches high school art and design.
“I could see an entire classroom equipped with HoloLenses, where students could be synced and all the headsets work together, so everybody sees the same thing and everyone can contribute.” Even now, students are able to talk about recreating their art and sculptures in 3D and possibly animating them.
It’s a brave new world that is changing constantly, and schools and educators alike are working hard to ensure they’re current. Calvary Christian Academy is committed to staying one step ahead to provide your student with the best opportunities in their chosen fields, and to support their artistic as well as scientific goals.
Join us for our Open House to experience firsthand why so many students and their families have chosen to call Calvary Christian Academy home.
Calvary Christian Acedemy • 954-905-5100 • www.ccaeagles.org/tours
