Recently, COL. Matthew Posner, MD spoke at the ribbon cutting cer - emony for a new state of the art elementary school at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, a school he attended as a child. “Mr. Tom Robinson or Mr. R as he was known was one of my teachers. He without a doubt, taught me all that I really needed to know for a future in my current profession. He taught, he disciplined, he coached, he nurtured, he cared. He set high standards for us, academically and spiritually,” said Posner who is a USMA graduate and an Orthopedic Surgeon at Keller Hospital. He continued, “One time our class spent a week at Lake Frederick under Mr. R’s care. We had outdoor classes, competed in field events, and took survival training courses. Why do I mention Mr. Robinson so prominently? To remind us of the most important link in the education chain: our teachers, especially our elementary school teachers who take on our kiddos as relatively blank canvases and help create master - pieces.” Mr. R was invited to the ceremony and was in the audience. Posner’s fourth grade daughter, Sarah-Jane attends the same elementary school. He said, “I hope my daughter can look back at her elementary school days with the same fondness of her teachers and experiences as I do. The new school gives our teachers a whole new set of tools to educate our kids with.” This is likely to happen. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District completed constructed on the school that is providing teach - ers the tools they need to teach students about STEAM or science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics to prepare them for the 21st Century. The Army Corps has constructed many of the structures on the historic 200-year-old military academy. Now it’s created a new school for the children of Army Soldiers and Department of Defense civilians who live at the academy. Teachers at the school are providing students a STEAM education. To do this, they are using a myriad of technological tools and the school is designed to be flexible and adaptable to provide different kinds of learners the environments they need to succeed. Posner said, “STEAM gets a bad rap, as many adults and kids are eas- ily intimidated by math, science, and engineering. Many folks believe that rocket science is capable of being understood by just few super intellectual kids. Making STEAM education available at young ages enables our children to see just how fascinating these disciplines re - Giving teachers the tools to prepare students for 21st Century USMA, West Point Elementary School By JoAnne Castagna, Ed.D.
The center “Hub” area of one of the Learning Neighborhoods. Photo: JoAnne Castagna, Public Affairs.
ally are and knocks down any perceived barriers that STEAM is too complex for the average child.” He added, “The world has transformed into a technology-based economy. Our children must be comfortable on computers. They must be well-versed in science and engineering. In a way, the recent COVID-19 Pandemic has turned many folks into pseudo scientists, epidemiologists, geneticists, and pharmacists. STEAM is important in our everyday lives and it’s incredibly important to have the background in the basics of these disciplines." The new West Point Elementary School is providing this. It replaced an outdated structure that was built in the 1960s. The school serves 509 students from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade and is located near the campus’s middle school and gym. The multi-story, 95,552 square foot school was built into the side of a mountain and has beautiful views of the Hudson River, the river valley, and the surrounding forests. Its design embraces this beauty to educate students about their region and the local culture. To bring the vibrancy of the region into the building, large windows were installed throughout the school and floors and ceilings are painted with a wide variety of colored paints. What also does this are the interior structures. Timothy Pillsworth, Project Engineer, New York District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said, “For example, instead of having utilitarian staircases, the stair- wells are painted with pleasing colors for a pastoral feel.” Speaking of utilitarianism, instead of having corridors with classrooms to the left and right, students are learning in flexible learning spaces called Learning Neighborhoods. The school has five Learning Neighborhoods. Inside each neighbor- hood there are six learning studios, a teacher collaboration room, and a kitchenette that surround a central learning Hub.
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csengineermag.com
November 2021
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