OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — A STEM teacher in Overland Park was one of nine middle school teachers selected nationwide for a prestigious professional development program.
Angela Kopp with Holy Cross Catholic School attended the National STEM Scholar Program hosted by the National STEM Cell Foundation and The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science.
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She met with other teachers from around the country to network and improve their lesson plans.
The purpose is to equip middle school teachers so that they can reach more students at a critical point in their decision-making for future career paths.
“If we can at least reach out and get to our kids either in grade school or middle school, there’s a higher chance that they are going to choose a field in STEM,” Kopp said. “STEM is really important to have in our classes, because it allows these kids to become innovators.”
The National STEM Scholar Program selects teachers each year from a national pool of applicants based solely on the description of a “big idea” Challenge Project the applicant would implement in their classroom if funds were available.
Kopp will be working with her eighth graders this year on a new composting project, now fully equipped with new resources and a $2,500 grant.
“They provided us not only with good experience and good knowledge, but they also provided us with equipment that we could bring back to our classrooms.”
For 25 years, Kopp has been making STEM feel approachable.
Studies show middle school students who are exposed to STEM have a higher chance of pursuing careers in the field.
Take Ximena Fernandez, for example, is now considering aviation and hopes the industry continues to grow and diversify.
“I’m from Mexico, and not a lot of people from my country are like interested in science and stuff from what I’ve seen," she said. "I wanna see more like diversity."
Kopp says more funding is needed to develop and support STEM programs across the country, so that it can reach as many students as possible from all different walks of life.
“What I hope is that we are just cultivating these innovative learners, that they are going to go out and start just being our game changers to just solve problems that we are faced with,” said Kopp.
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