S.P. Arnett Middle School has become a STEM hub in Southwest Louisiana.

Last month, the school reached pathway status with Woz ED, an educational company that curates STEM curriculum for K-12 schools nationwide. Woz ED honors a small group of participating schools with Pathway status to recognize them for their commitment to STEM education.

S.P. Arnett – which serves 350 students – is one of fifteen pathway schools in the country. “These are schools and districts that showcase exemplary teaching and learning in STEM education and work to prepare their students for future careers in technology,” said Rylie Richardson with Woz ED.

In order for a school to achieve pathway status, schools must have at least one dedicated STEM teacher and at least one STEM-based class for students. Additionally, there must be a one to three device to student ratio, a dedicated room on campus in which Wox ED kits are explored and at least five career pathways for students to explore.

There are ten career pathways that Woz ED’s curriculum offers. Each of these pathways consist of tactical lesson plans that teach students the concepts and skill sets needed to build the foundation needed for students interested in STEM careers.

Megan Clavier, a STEM teacher at S.P. Arnett, said that Wox ED has given the school coding, cybersecurity, drones, state science, animation, robotics, artificial intelligence, engineering and mobile app development kits, and has provided students with all of the supplies needed to complete the lessons.

This year, the animation, cybersecurity, coding, robotics and drones skits were introduced to the students. Clavier said that next year she plans to integrate more kits “in hopes of creating a 12-week rotation curriculum” for sixth and seventh graders at the school.

After talking to her peers that also teach technology and STEM, Clavier realized that a Woz ED enhances STEM education by simplifying the lessons. “The biggest benefit is having an actual curriculum with a scope and sequence designed and catered to our needs here at Arnett. Instead of pulling from various sources…and piecing together a STEM curriculum, it is done for me through Woz ED.”

“The curriculum allows me to take a step back and make everything student-centered. It also introduces students to career pathways that they may not have ever considered or been introduced to.”

Teachers like Clavier appreciate the flexibility of Woz ED modules, as well as the way they build upon prior student knowledge. “I had a class that was filled with boys who enjoyed building so instead of having them do the animation unit, we tried out the robotics unit.”

She believes this programming will bring the district up-to-speed in STEM education. “The area of Westlake really doesn’t have a huge STEM presence in education compared to other areas in the state and across the country, though in the past few years it has started to improve.”