As the nation’s only all-girls boarding and day high school on a college campus that offers a STEAM focus, Salem Academy provides not only a nurturing community for students, but also the brightest possible road for future goals.
The extraordinary result is a class of well-rounded, forward thinkers ready to carve their niche in the world!
Part of the school’s rigorous college prep curriculum, STEAM was initiated in the summer of 2021, and focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics as starting points for guiding students on a path of dialogue, inquiry and critical thinking.
“Critical thinking is about analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating information, a skill which is applicable to any path students choose to take after graduation,” shares the academy’s STEAM coordinator, Jeanette Juran. “We all do this on a daily basis with the information we consume from news media, social media and entertainment by choosing what to watch, listen to and read. By intentionally building critical thinking skills in our students – through our STEAM curriculum – we are preparing them for college and beyond.”
Once the curriculum was officially adopted, an exciting year of planning followed, as staff implemented elements into the 2022-2023 school year. With the importance of the month of January in the application process for the 2024-2025 school year, right now is the perfect time to schedule a campus tour and learn more about what makes the STEAM curriculum so successful.
“It’s now our school-wide focus,” says Jeanette. “All 77 students enrolled at Salem Academy participate.”
The beauty of the program is that students are encouraged to interact on many creative levels.
“Collaboration is an essential skill and evident throughout our STEAM curriculum,” adds Jeanette. “One specific example is the sophomore year project where students work in groups to plan a service activity (we call them compassion projects) for themselves and a group from the freshmen class. Beyond students, our faculty collaborates in teaching the STEAM courses, as well as interdisciplinary lessons and courses. Another example is our astronomy course which also includes an art component as part of their semester project.”
Jeanette also explains that the STEAM curriculum has a different core project for each grade level. “Our freshmen spend their course exploring, which includes an introduction to our STEAM framework, as well as the entire school, through our Remarkable Women of Salem curriculum and sample classes,” she adds.
Sophomores especially love working in groups to plan those service opportunities – for themselves and the freshmen to complete – while juniors identify and plan an internship. Seniors will complete a capstone project where they choose an area of interest to explore more in depth and then share with our community. Wellness and college counseling are also incorporated into the STEAM curriculum.
Salem Academy offers the best interdisciplinary coursework in science, technology, engineering, arts and math, as well as robotics and coding, all necessary to be innovators, educators, learners and leaders of the 21st century. Academy students are free to question, create and think for themselves. Along the way, they learn to collaborate with others, design solutions and adapt to the ever-changing world around them.With a keen eye on the future, the STEAM focus is an important addition to Salem Academy’s history of excellence, and they welcome the opportunity to share more about their curriculum with prospective parents and students. For more information on Salem Academy or to arrange a tour, email academy@salem.edu, or call 336.721.2643. Salem Academy is located at 601 S. Church Street, Winston-Salem, NC, online at salemacademy.com and on Instagram @salemacademy.
