New Downingtown STEM Academy aimed at developing innovators

Downingtown Area School District officials approached their predicament like the problem solvers they hope to develop at the district's newest high school.

The equation included student overcrowding, a limited budget, and a plan to modernize programs with a cutting-edge curriculum.

Their solution opened its doors Aug. 29, when the new Downingtown STEM Academy held its first classes for 450 students in one of the Chester County district's oldest buildings.

The new magnet high school offers specialized curriculum in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). It is one of a growing number of similar programs and schools popping up in the region.

The academy offers a program that includes a rigorous curriculum of high school and college-level courses that are recognized internationally. Students pick a special area of academic focus in their junior and senior years. They also must participate in community-service projects and work in internships with area businesses.

"I feel like I'm a pioneer," said STEM Academy student Jenna Simcox, 14, a freshman. "I want to be an innovator."

The STEM Academy is also an effort by the district to offer specialized education in subject areas where careers are plentiful and employers often go wanting.

The new high school helps with another challenge - overcrowding. The 12,400-student district's two high schools - Downingtown High School East and Downingtown High School West - both had been operating beyond capacity for several years. Officials expect STEM Academy to eventually include about 850 students in grades nine to 12 in the next three years.

The school's building is one that at first glance doesn't appear to be a state-of-the-art facility like the School of the Future in Philadelphia, built in partnership with Microsoft Corp. STEM Academy's building was constructed in 1933 and expanded in the 1950s and 1970s. Before the academy took it over, the building had been leased to the Chester County Intermediate Unit and was used for an alternative high school program.

"You can build a comprehensive high school for $120 million or repurpose an existing facility for less than $20 million," said Downingtown Board President Jackie Fenn. Total costs for the school are expected to be about $18 million, said Superintendent Lawrence Mussoline.

The building was renovated and stocked with new furniture, carpeting, and equipment. Classrooms were expanded and common spaces were redesigned. Students also have their own MacBook laptops.

The school has opened at a time when increasing numbers of schools are starting STEM-related programs and schools, largely as a result of advocacy from business communities worried about their future pool of employees, said Francis Eberle, executive director of the National Science Teachers Association.

The STEM Academy is pursing partnerships with businesses and colleges. Several businesses have donated funds and equipment totaling $250,000, said headmaster George Fiore. Bentley Systems, a computer firm based in Exton, donated funding for a robotics lab.

School officials plan to use the academy as a testing ground for practices that can be expanded to the entire district. Initially, some school board members were concerned about fairness and making sure that the academy did not become an exclusive school where a select group of students received special treatment.

"We've worked hard to make sure that has not happened," said board member Robert Yorczyk.

The school is open to students with a 2.0 grade point average. Applications must include several essays and one recommendation. Application procedures are still being tweaked to ensure that all students have a fair shot, Yorczyk said. About 800 students applied for the 450 slots open in the school's first year.

At the school earlier this month, students in engineering teacher Kaylia Austin's class learned about the merits of failure and how it can lead to success, while students in study hall gathered in the sound-engineering lab to create their own version of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody."

The school strives for a college-like atmosphere that encourages collaborative learning and independence, Fiore said. There's even a coffee bar. It has a trade-off for some students, who must travel to the other high schools to participate in activities such as team sports and band, because the academy doesn't have those programs.

But that doesn't bother students such as Tara Siano, Philip Ruffini, and Victoria Lumsargis, who say their paths to the STEM Academy may have been telegraphed as early as 10 years ago, when Ruffini was immersed in everything dinosaur, Siano mixed potions with her toy science kit, and Lumsargis tried to solve cartoon-show mysteries while watching Scooby-Doo.

"I want to go to Harvard or Oxford," Ruffini said. "Here, I can get individual attention and get away from the kids who goof off and take time away from everybody else. I'm in a place where everyone [who's here] really wants to be here."