Science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, has become a primary focus in many school districts in Chautauqua County. Many area school officials expect STEM programs to grow in the future. P-J photo by Jordan W. Patterson

Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) have gained much attention in the educational system over the last decade, but where are the programs now?

STEM programs have appeared in every district in Chautauqua County. Some districts even added arts to the acronym to highlight arts education leaving their programs being referred to as STEAM.

Others are now referring to the initiative as STREAM, adding an “R” that often stands for research, robotics or reading. Some even flip-flip on what the “M” refers to, both have been known to represent manufacturing or math.

Regardless of title, the mixed bag of education looks to be intentional, practical and fill local labor needs.

Traci Thompson, Jamestown Public School coordinator of STEAM, said the goal of the initiative is to blend the emphasized subjects together. While Jamestown doesn’t have a specific “STEAM” program, it has been pushing the initiative tailored to the same idea.

“My goal with STEAM in this district is that teachers would be able to facilitate a learning environment that has a fluid dynamic and is relevant to students,” she said. “Fluid is truly STEAM.”

In Jamestown, kindergarten through fifth grade are shifting to a more practical and mixed curriculum. The Jamestown Public Schools’ middle schools are currently looking into attaining Career and Technical Education (CTE) accreditation for several technology courses. At the high school, students select a certain academy that pertain to a specific career path. Additionally, the high school offers various CTE courses that focus around manufacturing, math and technology, which are consistent with STEAM.

The district has also made aligning its curriculum to match the needs of local employers and collegiate institutions. Much of that alignment involves STEAM.

“It’s a lot of hands on learning. It’s applicable to real life and showing you how you can use it. STEAM makes more real life connections,” Thompson said.

As if almost connecting classrooms, Thompson said the focus of STEAM looks to combine topics in the curriculum. For example, a teacher may include science, math and technology in one lesson in an intentional manner — more than ever before.

“We want to start breaking down those walls of just being science walls,” she said. “You can start to blend those standards and concepts.”

Like education itself, Thompson said STEAM continues to grow — as evidenced by its name. With the aligning of curriculum to college and career readiness in Jamestown and focusing on STEAM, she hopes the curriculum can “be more intentional and meet the needs of students.”

When asked if Jamestown’s and the county’s STEAM initiatives will continue to grow, Thompson said, “I believe it will.”

A major proponent of STEM and STEAM is the Dream It Do It organization. It has hosted its STEM Wars event for several years promoting the emphasis on practical education. The event is held on March 14 and school districts from around the county participate.

“Really, our mission is to get students into the pipeline and going into a manufacturing role,” said Carly Abbate, Chautauqua County director of Dream It Do It.

DIDI was created in 2009 to change the perception on manufacturing. Abbate said manufacturing makes up 18 percent of all employers in the county. The program was created by Jamestown Community College’s Manufacturing Technology Institute.

“The problem is, we have jobs available in most every manufacturer in the area, but we are finding it hard to fill them,” Abbate said. “We put many efforts towards educating students, parents and educators about the importance of manufacturing and the valuable jobs available.”

Abbate acknowledged school districts throughout the county have been adapting to addressing a need in manufacturing, through STEM education and other avenues.

In the Dunkirk City School District, the P-Tech academy, or Pathways in Technology Early College High School in 2018 to focus on STEM education. Many school districts have begun dedicating specific sections of school buildings to STEM. The Chautauqua Lake Central School District opened its Manufacturing STEM Lab in 2018 for the same purpose.

JCC even created the Workforce Readiness Scholarship to address manufacturing and STEM education. For accepted individuals, the scholarship covers the cost of all college fees including tuition, supplies and books and is offered at the MTI.

“It’s things like these that demonstrate that people are working to build up our STEM education programs and fill the need for employees in the manufacturing field,” Abbate said.