CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO continued
AN “EGG-CEPTIONAL” PARTNERSHIP – EGGS FOR EDUCATION
The Microsoft Hacking STEM, part of the EDU group, noticed the work occurring in Northeast Florida, and the potential for scalability and a replicable model. To help build capacity, Microsoft made the unprecedented gesture of inviting Schofield and 30 teachers and leaders from the area to go to the Redmond Campus, headquarters of Microsoft, and participate in twoweeks of professional development with others fromaround the globe, including participation in the global hackathon. The STEM2 Hub team consisted of STEM teachers, media specialists, school and district administrators, and university faculty whowork with preservice teachers. The leaders experienced professional development during the first week and applied the learning in the second week as they participated in Microsoft’s global hackathon. Schofield said the goal is to build capacity to infuse Hacking STEM curriculum into the local educational experiences at all levels, in- and out-of-school. “The curriculum takes STEM learning so deep, seaming together big data, coding, circuitry, andmath and science content. The learning was tremendous,” Schofield said. “It was both inspirational and practical, arming us with new skills and competencies that are all directly connected to emerging technologies to develop student readiness to participate in careers involving data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence.” Schofield said the impact of the two weeks will tremendously accelerate the work of STEM2 Hub. Microsoft Military Affairs worked with the STEM2 Hub to bring Youth Spark to town, providing a day of coding, career exploration, and hacking to about 100 students of military families. Youth Spark is returning in the fall and will be expanded to reach at least 500 students. The Microsoft Software Systems Academy (MSSA) has a location in Jacksonville, serving the need for transitioning members of the military to learn new skills leading to high demand jobs in technology. So far, STEM2 Hub’s work has directly touched more than 100,000 students in the seven counties in Northeast Florida that the STEM2 Hub directly works with. But the ripple effect of how its work has spread through the STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice is so vast that it is nearly impossible to quantify. The evolution of STEM2 Hub is a fascinating story involving eggs, robots, state policy and a handful of people determined to make a difference in the lives of students.
Partnerships are the cornerstone of the Northeast Florida STEM Learning Ecosystem. Some partnerships are easy to see, such as the partnership between the STEM2 Hub and Lego Education, but others aren’t as visible. The unique partnership between the STEM2 Hub and Bethesda Foundation started with a gift to bring food to the families of local students who face food insecurity. Just before Christmas in 2017, Sean Hellein, a new organic egg farmer and former finance analyst and computer scientist, met Schofield, who was still working for the school district of Clay County. Hellein, who wanted to give back, made a donation to the district that brought bags of groceries to over 300 families to help them survive the extended holiday season. Working with her local Publix food store, Schofield, who managed the holiday food project, ordered the food, organized the staging and delivery, and coordinated with the 40 schools in the district to identify the families most in need. On the Monday before Christmas, almost 200 volunteers gathered to organize the food and take it to families. The project brought a sense of hope and joy to many and has led Hellein and Schofield to form a deep friendship and partnership. After the holidays, Hellein knew he wanted to continue to do more. Schofield and Hellein partnered again to start microfarms on elementary school campuses as a place to learn to grow healthy food, to discover science, and to foster a sense of empathy and social responsibility in the students served. As the farm grew, Hellein was interested in getting his eggs into the Publix Supermarkets in Florida. Acosta Sales and Marketing, where Gary Chartrand served as the Executive CEO, stocks the majority of food for Publix markets. Schofield went to Chartrand and, today, Bethesda Farm Eggs are available for sale on the shelves of just about every Publix in Florida. Proceeds from Bethesda egg sales at Publix in northeast Florida are channeled to STEM2 Hub. Bethesda Farm also holds a seat on the STEM2 Hub Board of Directors, helping to shape the STEM opportunities being made available to students across the region and ensuring that biology and other aspects of the sciences are well represented throughout the ecosystem’s initiatives.
“ITWAS BOTH INSPIRATIONAL AND PRACTICAL, ARMING USWITH NEWSKILLS AND COMPETENCIES THAT ARE ALL DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES TO DEVELOP STUDENT READINESS TO PARTICIPATE IN CAREERS INVOLVING DATA SCIENCE, MACHINE LEARNING
AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.” - Kathleen Schofield
CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO
7
Made with FlippingBook Proposal Creator