STEM Council Welcomes 22 New STEM BEST Partners

Two students and a teacher participating in STEM Best education at their school.
The Central Community School District STEM BEST Program plans to expand their Makerspace program pairing kindergarten through sixth grade students with community and business volunteers.

The STEM Council welcomed 22 STEM BEST (Businesses Engaging Students and Teachers) Program models for 2021. With the addition of 22 new partners, 80 programs have been created since STEM BEST launched in 2014. 

The STEM Best Program supports school-business partnerships that allow teachers and industry professionals to work side-by-side on lessons and projects that give students actual workplace experience. In the projects, students also gain an understanding of the opportunities and required skills for careers in STEM fields in their communities. 

“STEM careers are in high demand, they make valuable impacts on communities, they’re more recession-proof, equal-opportunity, and they pay better than most fields, all equating to great futures. STEM BEST projects allow our Iowa students to experience that firsthand while still in school,” said Jeff Weld, executive director of the STEM Council. “As these public-private partnerships grow, student success and Iowa’s skilled workforce will continue to benefit.” 

The 2021 STEM BEST Program awardees are:

  • Ames Community School District
  • Don Bosco Catholic School System
  • CAM Community School District
  • Cedar Rapids Community School District – Thomas Jefferson High School
  • Cedar Rapids Community School District – Metro High School
  • Central Community School District
  • Clinton Community School District
  • Creston Community School District – Middle School 
  • Creston Community School District – Elementary School
  • Earlham Community School District
  • Eastern Allamakee Community School District
  • Howard-Winneshiek Community School District
  • Keokuk Community & Fort Madison School Districts
  • Linn-Mar Community School District
  • MFL MarMac Community School District
  • MOC-Floyd Valley Community School District
  • North Tama County Community School District
  • Pella Community School District
  • Riverside Community School District
  • Sioux Center Community School District
  • Wapsie Valley Community School District
  • Woodbine Community School District

Visit www.IowaSTEM.org/STEMBEST for more information on the STEM BEST Program and the 80 partners.

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