2022 STEM BEST® H.D. Partners

The Iowa Legislature in 2021 authorized a special appropriation to the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council to dramatically expand the STEM BEST® (Business Engaging Students and Teachers) Program via a Request for Proposals in the most high-need and high-demand job sectors. STEM BEST® H.D. (High Demand) is designed to prepare students for the workforce by teachers and industry professionals working side-by-side to develop curriculum in job sectors of computer science/information technology, health professions and advanced manufacturing. 

The STEM Council Executive Committee voted to award 38 competitively-selected school partnerships. The 2022 STEM BEST H.D. partners are:

BCLUW Community School District

BCLUW Community School District will provide students with the skills and opportunities to explore health care careers so they can make informed decisions on what direction in health care best suits their goals for the future as well as connect them to jobs and training opportunities while earning a science credit.

Contact: Roberta Vanderah at rvanderah@bcluw.org

Bettendorf Community School District

With Eastern Iowa Community College and local health care providers, students will be placed in actual field experiences that will hone their skills in working with patients while working towards required hours for their CNA certificate.

Contact: Christopher Like at clike@bettendorf.k12.ia.us

Bondurant-Farrar Community School District

A program will be developed that allows students the opportunity to learn more about the skills that they will need in the health science field as well as allow students to become exposed to a variety of opportunities in the health sciences.

Contact: Donovan Hill at hilld@bfschools.org

Boone Community School District

The Boone Community School District will create a pathway for career exploration and preparation in advanced manufacturing that begins at the middle school level and advances in high school and postsecondary experiences. This affords students opportunities to explore related careers through authentic projects, speakers, careers, and job shadows with a capstone apprenticeship opportunity.

Contact: Jill Janes at jjanes@boone.k12.ia.us

Boyer Valley Community School District

The Boyer Valley Community School District will create an elementary maker space that provides for STEM projects and activities that allows students to get hands on experience in all HD fields, including field trips to major business partners that focus on manufacturing, computer science and health.

Contact: Tracy Kelley at tkelley@boyer-valley.k12.ia.us

Burlington Community School District

Eagle View Community Health System joined the Health Services Program to provide a work-based learning project for students at the school based health clinic at Burlington High School. Offering a medical and behavioral clinic at the high school, and two clinics within thirty minutes of Burlington, allows students access to observe and intern while practicing at our local facilities.

Contact: Cassie Gerst at cassie.gerst@bcsds.org

Central Community School District

Clayton County BEST will expand with industrial technology area to offer an Advanced Manufacturing component to the program. Students will have the opportunity to operate a small manufacturing business that can meet a community need while building both business and manufacturing skills.

Contact: Jarod Bormann at jbormann@central.k12.ia.us

Central Lee Community School District

The three Lee County school districts (Central Lee, Ft. Madison and Keokuk) are partnering with economic development partners, local business and industry, and trade unions, in addition to post-secondary institutions to increase access and awareness of the career opportunities in STEM fields.

Contact: Angie Fransk at afransk@centrallee.org

Cherokee Community School District

A Cherokee Future Ready BEST Program will be launched in the next academic school year, with the goal for students to step out of the classroom and have a more in-depth, work-based learning experience that will build skills and awareness to help students to become Future Ready. The district will focus on connecting students with local industry partners targeting the areas of health professions and advanced manufacturing.

Contact: Tim Stoneking at tstoneking@ccsd.k12.ia.us

Davenport Community School District – Central High School

Central High School will expand access to the Information Solutions/Computer Science pathway with improving technology and equipment required to expand programming as well as increase course and co-curricular offerings for robotics, software development and hardware maintenance. The district will work with our industry partners and advisory council to provide the professional development and support required to implement the programming.

Contact: 

Davenport Community School District – North High School

North High School will expand access to the Information Solutions/Computer Science pathway with improving technology and equipment required to expand programming as well as increase course and co-curricular offerings for robotics, software development and hardware maintenance. The district will work with our industry partners and advisory council to provide the professional development and support required to implement the programming.

Contact: 

Davenport Community School District – West High School

Using STEM BEST Manufacturing Program as a model, West High School will expand access to the Information Solutions/Computer Science pathway with improving technology and equipment required to expand programming as well as increase course and co-curricular offerings for robotics, software development and hardware maintenance. The district will work with industry partners and advisory council to provide the professional development and support required to implement the programming.

Contact: 

Dike-New Hartford Community School District

At Dike-New Harford, a more relevant and vibrant industrial technology curriculum will be developed. Specifically, improvements will be made to facility and equipment to offer courses in advanced welding, CNC machining, product development and enterprise, and laser fabrication.

Contact: Lane Stahlberg at lane.stahlberg@dnhcsd.org

Dubuque Community School District

Dubuque Community School District will increase student awareness of quality careers available in advanced manufacturing in the Northeast Iowa Region, by updating and improving advanced manufacturing programming and curriculum through engagement of local business partners to provide a variety of work-based learning experiences for DCSD students.

Contact: David Moeller at dmoeller@dbqschools.org

Fort Madison Community School District

The three Lee County school districts (Central Lee, Ft. Madison and Keokuk) are partnering with economic development partners, local business and industry, and trade unions, in addition to post-secondary institutions to increase access and awareness of the career opportunities in STEM fields.

Contact: Kim Harmon at kim.harmon@fmcsd.org

Johnston Community School District

The Johnston Community School District will provide students opportunity to explore, develop skills and receive EMS certification in emergency medical care and transportation for critical and noncritical patients who access the emergency medical system.

Contact: Jyll Johnson-Miner at jjminer@johnston.k12.ia.us

Keokuk Community School District

The three Lee County school districts (Central Lee, Ft. Madison and Keokuk) are partnering with economic development partners, local business and industry and trade unions, in addition to post-secondary institutions to increase access and awareness of the career opportunities in STEM fields.

Contact: Doreen Underwood at doreen.underwood@keokukschools.org

Lawton-Bronson Community School District

The goal Lawton-Bronson would like to accomplish through the purchase and use of the zSpace is to increase interest in the healthcare field as well as prepare those interested for collegiate and workplace use of simulations.

Contact: Kayla Lundt at lundtk@lb-eagles.org

Lewis Central Community School District

Current STEM BEST model, Titan Plastics, will expand to offer Exploratory classes and larger after school sessions. Over one hundred students have the potential to be involved. Titan Plastics is a plastics manufacturing program that takes recyclable materials and landfill bound plastic and manufactures them to create sellable products.

Contact: Nathan Van Zante at nathan.vanzante@lewiscentral.org

Linn-Mar Community School District

Venture Academics will include Project Lead the Way Principles of Biomedical Science through an extensively project-based Health Sciences learning strand if funding to provide for facility and equipment upgrades can be secured.

Contact: Elyssa McDowell at elyssa.mcdowell@linnmar.k12.ia.us

Maple Valley-Anthon Oto Community School District

The Maple Valley-Anthon Oto Community School District will partner with Maple Heights Nursing Home in Mapleton, IA, to provide opportunities for students to explore opportunities in Health Careers. The funds would be used to implement a Project Lead the Way Biomedical Sciences curriculum while also renovating my classroom to model a patient room.

Contact: Brittany Hermsen at bhermsen@mvaoschool.org

MFL MarMac Community School District

The current MFL MarMac STEM BEST will expand to develop a new drone technology / precision ag program to enhance the rigor and future-ready offerings of the school’s agriculture program. This will also expand the efforts of the new authentic learning program specialized area of computer science and information technology within the agriculture program.

Contact: Melissa Haberichter at melissa.haberichter@mflmm.k12.ia.us

Mount Vernon Community School District

Students in manufacturing, advanced materials processing and construction technologies courses will, under the direction of their teachers, design and renovate a discontinued school bus into a state-of-the-art enrichment classroom.

Contact: Susannah Maddock at smaddock@mvcsd.org

Northeast Community School District

Northeast Community School District will expand the computer science curriculum by developing, in collaboration with Twin State Network Engineers, new courses that focus on real world applications of computer science.

Contact: Sam Howard at sam.howard@northeastcsd.org

Osage Community School District

A CNA program will be developed for junior and senior students then develop a health care career pathway for students. The model will be started with Osage Community Schools students and then offered to students in St. Ansgar and Riceville, creating a county wide academy.

Contact: Kelley Molitor at kmolitor@osage.k12.ia.us

Pella Community School District

Pella’s PEERS proposal will create an advanced manufacturing lab that uses relevant equipment to expose students to careers; connect business and industry to local students through the development of skills using current technology; provide pathways into registered apprenticeships.

Contact: Lowell Ernst at lowell.ernst@pellaschools.org

Pleasant Valley Community School District

Pleasant Valley Community School District will update existing classroom and coursework to provide an introductory course in CNC Machining. Students successfully completing the introductory courses can take advanced course work on the SCC campus where they can complete an industry recognized CNC Machine Operator Certificate.

Contact: Mike Zimmer at zimmermike@pleasval.org

Sheldon Community School District

The Siouxland CAPS schools will work together to offer more strand-specific classes specifically in the areas of health care, manufacturing and education. Through planning with Sanford, the students can continue with CAPS-specific training building career skills and connections between the Siouxland CAPS schools and get experience in the health field.

Contact: Cindy Prewitt at cindy.prewitt@sheldonschools.com

Sioux City Community School District

The Sioux City Career Center will be enhancing and promoting the health science pathways tied to the business community, addressing real-life scenarios and focused on integrating technology in course offerings through the use of an Anatomage Table.

Contact: Katherine Towler at towlerk@live.siouxcityschools.com

Spencer Community School District

Spencer Community School District plans to blend pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeships with work-based learning (WBL) programs with additional staff in order to expand ECEs to include IT, including apprentice-like occupations, such as IT generalist, computer operator and computer programmer, and start an EMT course at SHS.

Contact: Elli Wiemers at ewiemers@spencerschools.org

Storm Lake Community School District

Storm Lake Community School District will create a Beacon of Success Pathway for students, allowing them to move between a traditional high school setting and the soon-to-be-created pathway model. Students will have access to work-based learning options, reflecting a more student-centered, 21st century teaching and learning approach.

Contact: Stacey Cole at scole@slcsd.org

Tri-Center Community School District

Tri-Center Community School District will introduce students to career opportunities available in the medical field and provide hands-on experiences for those students who are interested in pursuing a career in the medical field through strong partnerships with local medical agencies.

Contact: Angela Huseman at ahuseman@tctrojans.org

Twin Cedars Community School District

Students will be able to utilize learned skills as an entry level employee with many Iowa based manufacturing facilities and use these base skills to go into more advanced trades and/or educational settings and successfully navigate to advanced levels in manufacturing or other diverse industries.

Contact: Brent Bambrook at bbambrook@twincedarscsd.org

Waterloo Community School District

An additional Career Program Pathways will be offered in Cyber Security to be a part of the Computer Science/IT pathway at the Waterloo career center for the 2022-2023 school year. The ultimate goal is for students to leave with certifications (Security Pro, COMP TIA certification & other ethical hacking certifications), Work-Based Learning experience and leave prepared to continue post secondary plans in a career or technical program focused around Computer Science/IT.

Contact: Amy Miehe at miehea2@waterlooschools.org

West Des Moines Community School District

With a focus on advanced manufacturing, computer science/IT and health, students will explore real-world interactions in the greater Des Moines community and gain hands-on experience in high-demand fields.

Contact: Shane Scott at scotts@wdmcs.org

West Lyon Community School District

Day-long field trips will take place to tour businesses in the advanced manufacturing sector. Students will be connected with businesses to meet employers, have the students witness what is happening in those facilities and come back to our program and practice skills that relate to those careers.

Contact: Shane Peterson at speterson@wlwildcats.org

West Marshall Community School District

The West Marshall Community School District will develop a comprehensive K-12 computer science curriculum providing students with real-world, authentic learning experiences both in and out of the classroom. Additionally, the district will create access to high-quality STEM materials in a K-5 library, host an annual K-8 STEM fair with community partners and create a teacher STEM academy with community partners.

Contact: Mari Haley at mhaley@wmcsd.org

Woodbine Community School District

Woodbine Community School District will build out modules and purchase the necessary equipment to create an advanced manufacturing program with deep learning and multiple paths for students to explore as part of the IGNITE Pathways program.

Contact: Paul Ridder at pridder@woodbine.k12.ia.us