It may be time to start building in room for another trophy case.
At this point, the Bellbrook Middle School STEAM department could use a trophy case of its own to hold the 27 consecutive Edison awards it’s received.
Once again, Bellbrook Middle School is one of the few recipients in the state of The Governor's Thomas Edison Award for Excellence in STEM Education and Student Research.
While last year BMS was one of 45 schools to win the award, this year they were one of 48.
Honored as teachers this year for their work were: Allie Bisignani, Ally Gies, Crystal Current, Debi Schwieterman, Emily Cline, Janice Cook, Jennifer St. Pierre, Jenny Nickol, Kayla Bruggeman, Kyle Ferguson, Lauren Duhan, Lynzee Allen and Shelby Herlihy.
“We are so proud of our STEAM programs at the middle school,” Middle School principal Jenna Hill said. “This is an amazing honor to highlight all the work they do to provide awesome and unique opportunities for our BMS students in the science, technology, engineering, art and math fields!”
BMS will receive a special Governor's Award certificate, and each teacher will receive a complimentary membership to The Ohio Academy of Science. The Technology Division of the Ohio Development Services Agency funded the program.
As stated in the press release issued by the Governor’s Office: the criteria for the Thomas Edison Award for Excellence are: (1) Conduct a local science fair with 12 or more students and have two or more of these students participate in the District Science Day or have six or more students participate in the District Science Day when no local fair has been conducted, (2) Students must participate in at least one more youth science opportunity beyond the classroom. The Ohio Academy of Science defines STEM education as both the mastery and integration of science technology, engineering, and mathematics for all PK-12 students. It incorporates scientific inquiry and technological design through student-focused, project-based curricula to develop skills of communication, teamwork/collaboration, creativity/innovation, critical thinking, and problem solving.
First established in 1985, the Governor’s Thomas Edison Awards recognizes Ohio schools and teachers who stimulate scientific student research and technological design and extend experiential opportunities beyond traditional classroom activities.
“These schools and teachers are preparing students for the future through application-based learning,” Ohio Academy of Science Executive Director Michael E. Woytek said. “Their students are learning and gaining confidence by solving complex problems through inquiry and technological design.”