This article was contributed by Pam Bernards, Ed.D., NCEA Director of Professional Development.
I recently had the privilege of spending time with the faculty of St. Augustine Cathedral School in Kalamazoo, Michigan for a full day of discovery and training on STREAM. It was a wonderful opportunity for the faculty to learn about what was described earlier this summer by STREAM 2.0 Symposium keynote speaker, Greg Dhuyvetter, as “the most important transformative initiative for our Catholic schools.”
Under the leadership of the principal Dr. Andra Zommers, the faculty identified priorities for moving the school forward over the next five years through the development of a comprehensive strategic plan. I was thrilled to have been asked to work with the faculty, but my excitement only grew upon reviewing the school’s strategic plan. The framework St. Augustine used is based on the National Standards and Benchmarks for Excellence in Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools (NSBECESS), which validates the need for integrated STREAM curriculum.
I could see that many of the ideas generated through the strategic planning process were not only aligned with the NSBECESS, but were also aligned with many of the Top Ten Goals of STREAM. My objective was to help the faculty discover the connection between the NSCBECESS and the Top Ten Goals of STREAM. We used their strategic plan as a self-study to identify two or three STREAM goals that could serve as the foundation for developing and implementing STREAM in their school.
The faculty experienced an inquiry based journey in which they explored the WHY and the WHAT of STREAM. They were then introduced to the Ten Goals of STREAM and corresponding examples for meeting the goals. Great discussion ensued as the faculty discovered the many things they were already doing that align with STREAM and they were enthusiastic as they began to think of the possibilities.
Armed with a new understating of STREAM, the faculty then completed a comparative analysis of the Ten Goals of STREAM and their five year strategic plan. This analysis aided them in identifying areas where gaps existed and they subsequently identified three STREAM goals to serve as the basis for developing and planning for STREAM and ultimately augmenting their existing strategic plan.
The beauty of the day is that they were beginning with Goal Ten by utilizing strategic planning as a blueprint to guide the development and implementation of their STREAM curriculum and are intentional in creating the vision for the future of STREAM at St. Augustine!
I want to thank the Dr. Zommers and her staff for such a warm welcome! Their openness to explore, collaborate and deliberate on how STREAM could benefit their students was awesome and speaks to the blessing they are to the community they serve. I look forward to continuing to work with them on planning and implementing STREAM at St. Augustine.
