Columbus area school earns state's prestigious STEAM certification

New Mountain Hill Elementary School is only the sixth school in Georgia to receive STEAM certification, meaning it has met a rigorous set of criteria for education in science, technology, engineering, arts and math.

Georgia Department of Education officials announced New Mountain Hill's designation after a visit to the school Dec. 7.

STEAM Certified schools "operate at an accelerated level" in four areas, according to the Harris County School District's news release:

1. "Teaching students to be independent problem solvers."

2. "Offering instruction that realizes the interconnection of math, science, and the arts."

3. "Offering instruction that requires students to solve real-world problems."

4. "Student use of a variety of technology."

During the GaDOE's visit to NMHE, student ambassadors welcomed visitors, led presentations and answered questions. The GaDOE officials toured the school to view various activities in the classrooms, gardens and labs.

STEAM schools choose an area of emphasis as a lens to view how their studies are applied in the real world. The STEAM focus at NMHE is agriculture.

"The support and assistance provided by the entire NMHE community and the Harris County School District was absolutely essential in acquiring STEAM certification," Jeff Branham, the district's chief information and human resources officer, said in the news release. "It is a very detailed and rigorous process that requires the attention of a tremendous amount of people. The tireless efforts of the faculty, staff, students, parents, volunteers, business partners and post-secondary educational partners is what clearly made this vision a reality."

NMHE principal Mark Gilreath told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email, "I am extremely proud of everyone that worked to bring this honor to New Mountain Hill Elementary. We are fortunate to have a supportive community that strongly supports our efforts."

The state's five other STEAM certified schools are Henderson Mill Elementary School in DeKalb County, Mableton Elementary School and Wheeler High School in Cobb County, Drew Charter School (K-12) in Atlanta and Coleman Middle School in Gwinnett County.

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This story was originally published December 15, 2017 at 10:46 AM with the headline "Columbus area school earns state's prestigious STEAM certification."