Carson elementary named ‘Established STEM School’

Carson City School District teachers and administrators from Empire Elementary School were honored by Gov. Joe Lombardo and the Governor’s Office of Science Innovation and Technology on May 16 in the Old Assembly Chambers in the Nevada Capitol building.

The ceremony recognized Empire Elementary School for advancing from a “Developing STEM School” to an “Established STEM School.” Empire Elementary School was first honored as a Designated STEM School in September 2020.

Seven teachers at Empire Elementary were among the first in the state to receive a National Certification in STEM Teaching. These teachers collaborated throughout the year using a competency-based and academic coach-led online learning platform.

On May 4, OSIT evaluated Empire Elementary – visiting classrooms, observing lessons and talking with students – using the Nevada STEM Framework rubric. To qualify for an Established School, the total points on the rubric must be between 80 and 114. Empire received a score of 108, which moved them to an “Established STEM School” status.

Designation as a Governor's STEM School denotes that the school meets the highest standards of STEM instruction and is a model for schools around the state.

“Empire is dedicated to continuing the work of improving practices in order to bring the highest quality of education and instruction to students,” Adrienne Wiggins, K-5 Computer Science teacher and STEM coordinator at Empire Elementary School, said in a news release. “Empire received two grants that will support this growth. Awarded $25,000 from the OSIT, the school will partner with the NISE to work towards a National Certificate in STEM Excellence. As part of this partnership, Empire will have 11 more teachers working towards their National Certification in STEM Teaching.”

Empire also received a grant from Project Lead the Way for $13,900 to train and support their entire staff in implementing an Integrated Project Based Learning approach.