Mangano Announces New S.T.E.M. Magnet Academy At The Cradle Of Aviation Museum
Joining Together Westbury, Uniondale and Freeport School Districts for the First-of-its-kind Partner Education program
Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano today announced that Nassau County will be joining the Cradle of Aviation Museum, local school administrators, Nassau BOCES, the Long Island Forum for Technology (LIFT) and S.T.E.M. Business Partners, which is composed of 18 Long Island-based aerospace and technology companies, in the launch of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – S.T.E.M. Magnet Academy program at the Cradle of Aviation Museum.
“I am proud to launch the new S.T.E.M. Magnet Academy program. This is an excellent example of Long Island’s academic and business communities joining together to help make a difference in the lives of our children,” said Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano. “This partnership will help ensure that even more deserving students receive the range of tools and opportunities that can help inspire them and succeed in school, thanks to the assistance and guidance of all involved.”
The newly formed S.T.E.M Magnet Academy is the only partnership of its kind nationwide where three independent school districts have teamed up with a museum to provide exciting, hands-on, daily classroom studies in math and science to over 200 students.
The S.T.E.M. Magnet Academy is an expansion of the highly successful Westbury Magnet Academy, a partnership formed in 2008 between the Cradle of Aviation Museum and the Westbury School district to create a new learning environment for high school students.
Students enrolled in the S.T.E.M. Magnet Academy will take physics, math and robotics classes in their respective high schools and then travel to the Cradle for daily on-site and hands-on classes led by Cradle of Aviation Museum educators. Students will utilize the museum’s extensive collection of air and spacecraft to see the practical application of classroom theories by studying the technology behind the exhibits.
“The success of the original Westbury Magnet Academy has created a welcome opportunity to expand the program which for three years now, has provided students with a stimulating hands-on learning environment, resulting in improved school grades at an unprecedented rate. Thank you to our partners who have helped grow the program to what it is today so that even more deserving students succeed in school,” said Todd Richman, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Cradle of Aviation Museum.
During the program’s first year, Westbury 9th graders enrolled in the Westbury Magnet Academy scored a nearly 90% passing grade on the New York State Physics Regents exam, as compared to 11th and 12th grade students not enrolled, with an 84% passing grade. The following year, the same 9th grade students, now in their sophomore year, scored 100% passing grades on the Chemistry Regents exam after taking additional courses in math, science and world history at the Cradle. After completing its 3rd year, the program had thirty-five 9th graders and thirty-five 10th graders spending half their school day at the Cradle.
“For three years we have seen our students thrive and gain exposure to Long Island colleges and career opportunities thanks to the Cradle educators and program developers. This year, we are excited to welcome the Uniondale and Freeport school districts into the S.T.E.M. family, which has seen its great success because of the many strong partnerships it has forged,” said Dr. Constance Clark, Superintendent of Schools, Westbury Public Schools.
For the 2011-2012 school year, the S.T.E.M. Magnet Academy will expand to include off-site trips to 18 Long Island science and technology companies, who will serve as S.T.E.M. business partners. Last year, students were taken to Globecomm, a Hauppauge-based satellite company, as well as Arkwin Industries, an aircraft parts manufacturer located in Westbury, where they toured facilities and met with employees who shared their backgrounds with students. Future plans include job shadowing, internships and summer job opportunities.
Elementary and middle school students will also have an opportunity to participate, thanks to another new S.T.E.M. partner, BOCES, which will provide coordination of an elementary and middle school S.T.E.M. program for students in the three partnering school districts.
“We are pleased to be able to support S.T.E.M. in every way we can,” said Bill Wahlig, Executive Director, Long Island Forum for Technology (LIFT). “It’s vital that we inspire today’s students to take an interest and gain a better understanding for the sciences and technology and S.T.E.M. will undoubtedly provide them with that platform.”
The Cradle of Aviation Museum is home to over 75 air and spacecraft representing over 100 years of aerospace history. The museum is located on Museum Row, off of Charles Lindbergh Boulevard in Garden City. For more information call 516-572-4111 or log onto www.cradleofaviation.org.
