BCS Advantage Magazine Special Edition #9 | Page 7

The Martin L. Nesbitt, Jr. Discovery Academy (NDA) opened its doors to 100 ninth-graders in 2014 as the
first STEM high school in Western North Carolina. That same group of students are now among our 2018
graduates- the historic first class of NDA seniors! Superintendent Dr. Tony Baldwin emphasized that STEM
education in our schools is among our district’s highest priorities.
“We strive to prepare our students for a dynamic 21st Century workforce,” said Baldwin. “The emphasis
on project-based activities and collaboration among students at the Discovery Academy is providing our
students with a unique learning experience that will, no doubt, prepare them for their tomorrow.”
Michael Byrd, Travis Walter, and
Emma Whitney discuss their work with
Destination: Space, which gives students
the opportunity to design components for
an actual satellite.
John Laguna used his senior
project to design an innovative
new tool for dental hygiene.
Seniors Molly Pruett and Megan
Lemmons work together in one of
the school’s engineering labs. Pruett
created an Amelia Earhart flight
simulator for her senior project, while
Lemmons focused on a curriculum
design for climate change
programming skills to design a unique tool he described as “a website that subscribes to other websites.”
Right after John finished his presentation, he stood in the hallway looking both proud of his work and
relieved.
“This is the biggest thing I’ve ever created as an independent programming project,” Inman said. “I think
it went pretty well. I think the only worry I have is that I didn’t get across how hard it was to make what
I made, because web development always looks a lot easier on the outside than it does on the inside.”
John Pruett served as a volunteer panelist for some of the projects, while his daughter Molly presented her
work in another classroom. Molly interned with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and
discussed her project using climate data to search for the remains of Amelia Earhart’s aircraft.
“It’s an amazing opportunity through Buncombe County Schools to have this innovative and very forward-
thinking program for motivated students,” Pruett said of his daughter’s years at Nesbitt. “It really focuses
on the talents, inclinations, and interests of the students.”
At the end of the evening, Science teacher John Mizell stood in the school’s atrium by Mr. Allison, proud to
see the success of their first class of seniors.
“It has been really exciting seeing them do simple projects one year and then moving up to more complex
projects the next year,” Mr. Mizell said. “Now they are developing something innovative, something new,
and they are combining it with what they feel passion about and something they can see themselves doing
in the future.”
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