SOUTHWICK – Powder Mill Middle School teacher Beth Grady is picking up where retired science teacher Sue Pac left off.
Grady is taking over many of the duties performed by Pac concerning STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Grady and Principal Ronald Peloquin met with the Southwick-Tolland-Granville School Committee yesterday to discuss her plans for the coming year, which included an integration of STEM rather than eaching each area separately.
Grady said she hopes to continue the tradition of an overnight science program, if construction allows, and she plans to add new programs to the STEM curriculum, including the Future City and Math Counts competitions.
“I think it’s important not to get rid of programs students like so I’ll be talking to them,” Grady said.
Grady offered a short STEM presentation that addressed the need to offer integrated STEM education.
Peloquin said he hopes to do more specific testing of STEM to collect data about which areas students gravitate toward and where there needs to be work.
“We want to identify strengths and to stretch and reach as much as we can,” he said.
Also during last night’s meeting, the committee agreed to declare furniture stored in the Granville Village School basement as surplus.
Superintendent Dr. John Barry said there are more desks than the district can use.
“Given the number of surplus desks from this (Southwick) campus, it’s inconceivable that we will need these in Granville,” he said.
Barry said with the new furniture that was ordered as part of the Southwick school campus renovations, there will be more than enough desks.
Business Manager Stephen Presnal said there are about 146 desks and 60 chairs to surplus.
“They’re 1960s and ’70s era,” Presnal added. “They will be disposed of or donated.”
