Global Impact STEM Academy, a new public high school in Springfield, Ohio — and the first in the nation to focus on agricultural biosciences — is now recruiting students. A STEM school, the new academy will specialize in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields with a curriculum designed to provide students with hands-on experience in areas with strong job and economic growth — agriculture, energy and the environment — through integrated classroom experiences and strong support that will lead to post-secondary experiences, internships and job placements.
Here’s how Global Impact describes the school in their philosophy: “What we do at Global Impact comes down to giving students access to real life success. The idea is simple: create an academy closely linked to industry challenges and solutions that will train students to tackle the issues of tomorrow (and today).”
The concept for the school was developed to address the region’s widening gap between the skills of its workforce and the skills required for the agbioscience industry. The school’s funding comes from academic, business and community partners including Ohio State University, Wright State University, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, Clark State Community College and Bob Evans Farms. During their time at the school, students can log classroom time at partner colleges and earn up to two years of transcript college credit.
Global Impact’s director, Joshua Jennings, both an experienced educator and former farmer, explains that the school will align it’s graduates “with the job market and what’s needed in the state.” As the school’s motto, “My Life. My Choice. My Impact,” suggests, students have the opportunity to specialize their high school education as it directly links to economic growth.
Global Impact can accommodate up to 100 students in its first year; applications are now being accepted for freshman year 2013-2014. The school is located at Clark State Community College’s Leffel Lane Campus and is considered a public school with no charge for tuition.
Our country faces steep challenges in the field of agriculture as we must find ways to feed a growing population in the wake of increasingly extreme weather conditions, limited arable land and a competition between food and fuel. We believe that by educating our young people to tackle these challenges head-on, we can come up with the innovations needed to build a sustainable, healthy future. Sustainable America fully supports the investment this school, and others like it, are making in areas in great need of brilliant minds.
To find out about other STEM programs, check U.S. News’ ranking of the Best STEM High Schools across the nation.
