CROSS-CURRICULUM CREATIVITY
LEFT : Even before the new Adlerman Makerspace Lab in McNamara Library was finished in 2021 , Fordham Prep students showed an interest in iSTEAM subjects such as Robotics , 3D Printing , and Aviation .
RIGHT : The new Cybersecurity and Computer Science A courses for the 2022 – 23 school year will teach students how to be safe online and prepare them for STEM-related majors .
BOTTOM LEFT : Students in John Haag ’ 84 ’ s Engineering Science class doing hands-on work with circuits .
BOTTOM RIGHT : Students showcased several of their robots during the inaugural iSTEAM Expo .
THE INFLUENCE AND GROWTH OF THE ISTEAM CURRICULUM
T he school ’ s iSTEAM curriculum aids in fostering wellrounded academics and ingenuity . Students have the opportunity to take advantage of several courses and related co-curriculars that pique their interest and introduce them to new things .
The “ i ” in “ iSTEAM ” stands for “ Ignatian ” but also “ innovation ” and “ individual ” explained Assistant Principal for Academics and Student Life Chad Broussard . “ It can be all of it ,” he said . “ It was just something that I thought of in my other office as I was looking at my windows when I had them ,” he laughed .
iSTEAM is having an impact on the way many courses are taught across all academic departments . Classes such as Physics , Biology , and Aeronautical Science have been influenced by all that iSTEAM has brought to the Prep . The same is true for LaGamma ’ s music theory classes and Han ’ s Chinese language classes .
“ iSTEAM has caused me to think about how science class connects to the community ,” said John Haag ’ 84 from the Science Department . “ My classes are lab-oriented and iSTEAM has opened the class view up to the outside world ,” he continued .
In Haag ’ s Engineering Science class , students tinker with circuits , create computer designs of buildings and bridges , and explore artificial intelligence . These hands-on activities allow students to discover much of what the field of iSTEAM has to offer .
Haag hopes that the iSTEAM curriculum will continue to attract students who have an affinity for science , engineering , and math-related fields from the get-go . “ As the program expands , I hope that we find students that are interested in this right away coming from 8th grade into 9th grade so we can give them a chance to start working on it before they ever end up in a physics class or the advanced classes of senior year ,” he stated .
Two new courses will be offered in the 2022 – 23 school year as part of the iSTEAM curriculum : Computer Science A and Cybersecurity . The two courses are supported by a $ 14,000 Project Lead the Way grant that will allow iSTEAM Co-Coordinator Mario Caraballo and Assistant Director of Operations Danielli Antoniou to receive training in order to teach the classes in the upcoming school year . Cybersecurity will be available to students in 10th grade and up , while only seniors will be able to take Computer Science A .
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FORDHAM PREP RAMVIEW