Canyons District is home to the first middle schools ever to receive STEM designations a reflection of their strong focus in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Nineteen schools in Utah received the designation and Draper Park, Mount Jordan and Union were the only middle schools. Sponsored by the Utah State Office of Education and the STEM Action Center, the designation program was created by the Utah Legislature to define the ingredients for the quality of STEM instruction needed to prepare students for college and 21st Century careers. “The designation serves as an indicator for members of the public who are looking for STEM school experiences in Utah K-12 education,” says the STEM Action Center’s website.
School leaders and curriculum specialists were thrilled to receive the designations. “This is a great honor for Union Middle School,” Union Vice Principal Doug Hallenbeck said,”particularly for our science department, which has worked cohesively to attain this prestigious level of recognition. It is well deserved for the tremendous amount of work they do for the students of Union.”
In other STEM news, 23 of CSD’s middle school students received scholarships to attend science- and technology-oriented summer camps. The scholarships were sponsored by RizePoint, a software company that recently re-located to the Canyons District community. The winners were honored at a reception at the company’s headquarters, 2890 Big Cottonwood Canyon Road, on Wednesday, May 18.
