President Brian Hayes welcomed everyone to the Centerville Rotary Club Zoom meeting and led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance. Dick Hoback provided the prayer.

 

Thought of the moment – writer, Thornton Wilder, once said, “My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it’s on your plate.”

 

Today’s announcements included:

 

Bill Menker shared this week’s 50th anniversary trivia - his last bit to celebrate Vocational Service Month. Bill has been going through old weekly newsletters called Beacons, and found one that was different from the rest. The October 11, 1979 Special Golfers Edition included 6 pages of golf jokes & trivia.

 

 

He knows how members like to tease each other with fun ribbing, which apparently has been going on for some time. He found this in the Special Golfers Edition:

 

 

Bill said he hopes his presentations haven’t caused any yawns!

 

Kim Senft-Paras will share tidbits next month on the topic of Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution.

 

 

All happy bucks can be mailed to: Centerville Rotary Club | PO Box 41431 | Centerville | OH | 45441-0431

 

Sergeant at Arms this week was Pat Beckel.

Recovery/Happy Bucks included:

 

 

 

Robin Fisher has worked in education for the past 15 years. She served as a counselor, principal and is currently the Superintendent of the Dayton Regional STEM School. Robin has been with DRSS since the school opened in 2009. In the early years she served as a member of the leadership team tasked with designing, opening and growing an independent, public STEM school from 70 to over 700 students.

 

Her love of STEM education arose from a passion for the STEM fields. As a former microbiologist and toxicologist Robin believes in the ability of all students to do STEM and seeks to inspire others to pursue majors and careers in the areas of technology, health care and engineering. Dr. Fisher has a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and two master’s degrees, one in environmental toxicology and one in education. She completed a doctorate in organizational leadership.

 

Robin shared that Stephanie Adams Taylor has been with their staff for 5 years, and is currently the Director of Strategic Partnerships

 

Really enjoy Rotary visits - always the happiest people. Maybe need to do happy bucks with their staff to get everyone in a good mood!

 

Robin shared their Motto - The real world starts here.

Being here, they’re exposed to what’s going on in the real world

 

And Mission - To prepare and inspire the next generation of leaders and innovators

 

 

What is a STEM school? In 2007 a HB allowed for the development of STEM schools to address the need for more STEM professionals.

S.T.E.M. stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. At the Dayton Regional STEM School, S.T.E.M. also stands for Strategies That Engage Minds. We believe that a STEM-focused education is a great foundation for any 21st century student, no matter their future path. Our students discover a love for learning in a hands-on, high-tech, and engaging educational environment that allows them to explore and innovate. 

 

Dayton was one of first five STEM schools in Ohio, and the first regional model where any student in the state can apply to and attend their school.

 

They are members of the OH Stem Learning Network which helps coordinate STEM schools across the state. They also have strong partnership with Wright State University.

 

 

The Dayton Regional STEM School started in 2009 with 74 students. They are  currently located on Woodman Drive in an old strip mall where they have been developing and remodeling over last 10 years. They now have grades 6-12 with a current enrollment of 730. They could accommodate a little over 800 at this location.

 

Admission is through a lottery and the application is available on their website. Students don’t have to re-apply every year. The majority of applications are for 6th grade positions and openings are available in the upper grades only If a current student chooses to leave.

 

 

The operate under an ACE culture - Accepting Culture for Everyone. They are a community of people who are risk takers, who may sometimes fail, so it is important to feel comfortable in that environment to try again.

 

The five qualities/proficiencies they stress include Persistence, Inquiry, Creativity, Communication, and Collaboration. Students are encouraged to use these qualities every day.

They have several measures of success. 70% of graduates pursue STEM careers or degrees and they have a 100% graduation rate.

 

 

The curriculum is all Science Technology Engineering & Math. Teachers are challenged to create projects in the classroom where student learn through doing projects.

 

An example given was a 6th grade science teacher came up with the driving question - “What has happened to all the oak trees?” The students took a field trip to southeast Ohio where they met with scientists, and then the teacher followed up with content in the classroom. The end product was for the students to develop a PSA or pamphlet to educate others. Students are engaged and excited about the project, which makes a difference in their learning.

 

They want students to be passionate about their learning and give them something they enjoy to pursue in the future.

 

 

Stephanie then noted that Dayton is rich with innovation so when they started thinking about curriculum, they decided on three career pathways: Engineering, Computer Science & Health Care. 6th-8th grade classes are exposed to all areas, building foundational skills, to help them find what they like best. In 9th grade, students can start core classes to deep dive into one or all three pathways. They are very prepared when they graduate for enter higher ed or to go straight into the workforce.

 

 

They have an annual career fair - Enriched by Career Exploration, which is coming up soon. All students participate, shake hands, make eye contact and figure out what careers are here in the Dayton area. 9-10th graders have a job shadow requirement and internships are required for 11th grader and this is a good place to make those connections.

 

 

Community partnerships are critical to their success. Stephanie shares what they do with partners but also determines the partner’s goals, business needs, and skills needed for employees which is then connected with their curriculum so students are better prepared.

 

 

Partners also provide sponsorships to assist with funding.

 

What percentage applicants get accepted? 50% into 6th grade. 7-10th may only have 2-5 spots with 70-80 applicants. They are hoping to expand to elementary grades one day.

 

The Dayton Regional STEM school is a free public school; there is a $250 technology fee per student per year.

 

All students have full semester class on financial literacy and learn other life skills needed for outside of the classroom.

 

How much counseling is provided? They currently have 4 school counselors on site and contract with a mental health counselor and do mental health screenings as well. Robin noted mental health is important, especially over last couple of years dealing with the COVID pandemic.

 

Graduates moving on to college were around 90%, but now is changing to around 80%. The others go directly to the workforce or military.

 

Computer science is in high demand right now and students can get a job right out of high school and many companies will pay for higher education.

 

 

President Brian thanked the speakers for the great information and led the group in reciting the Four-Way Test.