The science department aims to help all students be successful in science and make it an enjoyable and challenging experience.
Students are encouraged to ask questions, make predictions, design investigations and obtain evidence -- eventually able to evaluate, defend and critique a scientific argument.Our goal is for all students to become literate in science and develop a life-long love of learning by the time they graduate.
This includes:
critical thinking and problem solving to make evidence-based decisions.
inquiry-based projects to explore science content, enhance understanding and dispel misconceptions.
written, oral and visual explanations of scientific concepts.
a safe environment to explore the ethical, economic and environmental concerns and questions of society.
technical resources to help all students understand and demonstrate science learning.
student, teacher and program assessments in conjunction with scientific inquiry, inquiry learning and inquiry teaching.
The Science Department is responsible for the science curriculum and instruction for grades K-12, including:
Akron Public Schools Teachers Receive Governor's Thomas Edison Awards for Excellence in STEM Education
The criteria for the Thomas Edison Awards for Excellence are: (1) to conduct a local science fair with 12 or more students; (2) qualify two or more of these students for one of the Academy's 17 district science days; (3) have students participate in at least one or more youth science opportunities beyond the classroom such as State Science Day, Buckeye Science & Engineering Fair, Science Olympiad, B-Wiser, visits to museums, mentorship programs, and extended field trips and other structured STEM-related youth activities; and (4) convince external STEM professionals how and to what extent the school's program met the Academy's definition of STEM education. The Ohio Academy of Science defines STEM education as both the mastery and integration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics for all Pre-K-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 connecting classrooms to the real world by demonstrating the relevance of STEM," said Michael E. Woytek, the Academy's Executive Director. Woytek went on to say, "they are developing a group of active and intrinsic learners."
Akron Public Schools Healthcare In Progress (HIP) program in partnership with Kent State University and The University of Akron received the 2020 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education.
The Inspiring Programs in STEM Award honors colleges and universities that encourage and assist students from under-represented groups to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Akron Public Schools, Kent State University and The University of Akron were featured, along with 49 other recipients, in the September 2020 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.
Inspiring Programs in STEM Award winners were selected by INSIGHT Into Diversity based on efforts to inspire and encourage a new generation of young people to consider careers in STEM through mentoring, teaching, research, and successful programs and initiatives.
In partnership with Akron Public Schools, Kent State University and The University of Akron, HIP exposes students to different career opportunities available in healthcare. Throughout the school year, students become involved with area hospitals and can participate in summer opportunities that introduce them to the colleges within the partnership. The HIP Initiative has helped more than 1,700 students, with an emphasis on populations under-represented in health care, picture and be better prepared for their futures in healthcare careers.
Akron Public Schools Healthcare In Progress (HIP) program in partnership with Kent State University and The University of Akron has been in existence since 2000 when a diverse group of institutions came together to form the Healthcare in Progress (HIP) Initiative for the betterment of community health. More than 75% of students who have participated are females, and 80% are non-white. HIP introduces students to various medical-related fields (medicine, nursing, hospitality and support services, information systems and medical records, biomedical engineering, radiology, laboratory, pharmacy, physiology, and rehabilitation technical services) and takes them into hospital settings to experience and observe healthcare and medical practice in action.
More than 500 of these 1,700 students have also participated in HIP's summer program, a week-long opportunity for students to experience "life on campus" with an emphasis on post-secondary education for healthcare careers. The summer week provides many opportunities such as shadowing health care professionals on the job, problem-based learning projects and information on healthcare careers. In addition to the summer pipeline from eighth-grade to 12th-grade programs, Fall and Spring Seminar touch bases were created over the last four years. Furthermore, the Rachel's Angels program has been wrapped into the HIP program to provide students an opportunity to speak about the opioid crisis to health classes across middle and high schools in our own and area school systems.
At each grade level, these programs:
engage high-school-level students by raising awareness of opportunities in healthcare careers during high school and beyond;
provide pathways to local educational opportunities in the student's area of interest;
create a forum to provide curriculum counseling for how to get into college and into a career; and,
connect students to the many scholarships and other funding opportunities to help them pay for their education.
The goal is to place graduates in meaningful careers with earning power making positive contributions to the healthcare team in Akron and the Northeastern Ohio region. As Akron Public Schools engages in Academy work, the HIP program is the platform from which the district emulated other partnerships within the city. The academies related to health care are the following: Sports Medicine & Health Care Professions (Buchtel CLC); Healthcare (East CLC); Animal Sciences (Ellet CLC); Nursing & Patient Care (Garfield); Allied Health, Healthcare Operations, PLTW Biomedical Science (North); Biotechnology (STEM); and an Associate Degree in Science (Akron Early College).
"We know that many STEM programs are not always recognized for their success, dedication and mentorship for under-represented students," says Lenore Pearlstein, owner and publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. "We want to honor the schools and organizations that have created programs that inspire and encourage young people who may currently be in or are interested in a future career in STEM. We are proud to honor these programs as role models to other institutions of higher education and beyond."
For more information about the 2020 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award and INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, visit insightintodiversity.com.
68th Annual Akron Public Schools STEM EXPO
January 27, 2024, at Ellet CLC
All participants need to register by December 15, 2023. Please contact your science teacher for information or call our department at 330.761.3117. This is a new process from previous years.
The 68th Annual Akron Public Schools 2023-24 Science, Technology, Engineering and Math EXPO provides scholars an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and passion for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
If scholars are not working with an APS teacher/coach/adviser, click on this link for the STEM EXPO Family Site.
Reminder: The scholar must be the one to access the links.
ChickQuest is an Ohio State University extension 4 H enrichment program. Introduced in late 2008, it incorporates concepts of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). It challenges third-grade students to investigate the lifecycle of egg-laying animals while monitoring the 21-day incubation period of an embryonic chicken egg and observing the chicks that hatch. The program is different from a traditional embryology curriculum in that it incorporates a daily science lesson geared to Ohio's academic standards.
We do hands-on science in the classroom all the time, but this takes students through the scientific and engineering thinking process. It has a hands-on component, yes; but it also has life. When one student saw a chick break open from the shell, he said, "This is a miracle." Students gain an understanding that things are alive, and it awakens a bit of their humanity as they are studying science.
