HIGH SCHOOL STEM ACADEMY
LAUNCHES NEXT YEAR
M
ansfield ISD middle school
students who have a passion
for science, technology, engineering
and mathematics (STEM), will be
able to continue their STEM-focused
curriculum at the high school level.
Frontier High School will become
the Frontier STEM Academy starting
in the 2020-21 school year.
“Frontier High School is not going
away. It’s just the way that it’s
structured will look a little bit
different,” said Christie Alfred,
chief innovation officer.
STEM-based activities, like robot competitions, will be available to the students.
The high school was originally only
for 11th- and 12th-graders who
were interested in being immersed
in post-high school graduation
preparatory programs. The Frontier
STEM Academy will be for students in
grades 9-12 who thrive with rigorous
and hands-on learning opportunities. “There are 100 spots that we will
have open for the first year,” said
Alfred. “Students at the Jerry
Knight STEM Academy will have
the first option. The best applicant
for us for this first year would be
students who have already passed
Algebra I. We are requiring that.”
The school will house only ninth-
graders for the first year. A new high
school grade will be added each year. Frontier STEM Academy will feature
project-based learning, flexible
class schedules and STEM internship
opportunities with
industry partners.
Campus administration
said the seating is even
arranged in a way that
promotes collaboration,
communication and
problem-solving.
Jerry Knight STEM Academy learners have a place
to continue their STEM-based learning at the
high school level.
14 MANSFIELDTODAY
“We’re not going to
have the traditional ‘sit
in rows and listen as
the teacher sits in front
to do the lecture,’” said
Michael Fore, academic
associate principal for
Frontier High School. “They’re going
to learn through doing and getting
those experiences to be involved in
the engineering design process.”
Frontier STEM Academy will have
its first graduating class in the 2023-
24 school year. Campus and district
administrators said they are excited
to see what the future holds for
the incoming group of learners.
“I’ve gone over to the Jerry Knight
STEM Academy a few times, and to
see the different ways that they are
learning and the experiences that
they’re having, it’s amazing; and I
want to see how we can push them to
their full potential to see what we can
produce for our community,” said Fore.
Students who are interested in
applying for the Frontier STEM
Academy had the ability to apply to
the school online through Jan. 10.
More information about the STEM
Academy can be found at
frontier.mansfieldisd.org.