Student Perspectives
"Attending STEM School Chattanooga has been a life changing
experience for me. My freshman year challenged me the most. It was
hard to transition from a normal teaching environment to an
environment where I was pushed, to my fullest extent, daily. My
junior and senior years have been very rewarding. I have had the
opportunity to enroll in dual enrollment, at Chattanooga State and
earn my high school and college credits. This unique opportunity
has allowed me to have an advantage over incoming college freshman.
Not to mention, PBLs have also allowed me to make connections with
local companies within Chattanooga. I have worked with numerous
companies including: Volkswagen, Hunter Museum, EPB and many
others. STEM has provided me with a one-of-a-kind experience, one
that you cannot find anywhere else." Brandon Camp,
Class of 2016
"Attending STEM School Chattanooga has prepared me for the real
world. I have learned how to juggle a heavy workload and how to
manage my time effectively. When I started college classes in 11th
grade, I could handle them with ease. The school has taught me how
to learn and be engaged, even in a topic I don't particularly
enjoy. I have learned real life skills through unique experiences
that can't be taught through a textbook. STEM School Chattanooga is
more than a school that teaches a curriculum, it teach you real
life skills." Emily Varner, Class of
2016
"Thanks to the STEM's focus on new-aged education in aspects
such as coding, I now have the capability to hold conversations
with experts in the field of computer programming. I'm not
limited in whom I can speak. The STEM School has provided me
with the confidence and skill I need to present to anyone."
Alex Rolph, Class of 2016
"Attending the Stem school has taught me that in life you have
to do things that you don't want to do at work, home, etc.. The
PBL's weren't all easy or a piece of cake but I got through it.
Being the first graduating class there has been trial and error and
it's also taught me that things are never perfect, but you can
perfect them. There's never going to be a time where you can't
improve on something because there is always a way to make things
better than what they are no matter how good you think it
is." Vienna Spratling, Class of
2016
"Where do you go to school? What does Stem stand for? Isn't that
a plant? You have to be smart to go there, right? Those were the
countless questions I've been asked for the last four years. I,
Marketta Collins, attend Stem School Chattanooga. STEM stands
for science technology engineering and mathematics. We are
definitely not a plant and you do not have to be a genius. All that
they ask is that you try. The Stem School is a place where you
build off of failure to make up success. There are countless number
of times that our teachers have sent students out on challenging
missions knowing that we would fail. However, it wasn't to be mean.
It was so that we can learn from it and improve for next time. I
used to say that I wished I went to a regular high school, but now
I love Stem. Stem is a family outside of my own family. We make
sure we never leave anybody behind just because we're all new to
this adjusted learning environment." Marketta Collins,
Class of 2016
"It's been tough being the first graduating class at STEM. From
being "guinea pigs" for unheard of programs, to intense workloads
designed for college prep, it's been tough. Don't get me wrong;
it's been worth it. Being guinea pigs has allowed us to create our
own environment, one in which we're all comfortable and feel at
home. We've weeded out the things we hated in the beginning, and
created a school that I'm in no hurry to leave. The large workloads
means that my college classes have been easy compared to STEM work.
STEM has taught me how to persevere, how to withstand the rain
until the sun shines through." Bobby Mosier, Class of
2016
"Here at STEM, we're constantly trying, failing, learning, and
then finding success. Through testing our ideas we found that
sometimes we were successful and sometimes we failed. These
challenges had a positive impact on how I view the world around me.
This school has prepped me in every way for the real world. I'm
glad I decided to stay here all these years. Before coming to this
school I had incredible social anxiety where I couldn't talk to
anyone. When I did talk, I struggled with what to say. Here at STEM
I learned how to give correct and professional presentations. Now
I'm able to hold a full conversation with business executives.
Although this school is still new, we have tried multiple
ideas. We learned from all of those past failed ideas which
made this school and its students stronger." Drew
Herrmann, Class of 2016
"STEM has really helped open some doors for me. Of course, all
of them have had my hand on the knob. Anyway, one of those doors
was at Volkswagen. We had a partnership with them for a unit of
work, part of that unit being a presentation on an idea to "Think
Blue" at our school. The best three presentations were given the
opportunity to present at Volkswagen to several employees. I was
part of one of those groups. When the day came, we killed our
presentation on biodiesel. Because one of the employees liked it
and was involved in a project directly related to biodiesel, he
invited us to join in. One of my teammates and I were invited to a
full board meeting for the project, where we spoke like everyone
else. There's no telling what might come of that, and what
opportunities were opened further." Noah Hamlen, Class
of 2016
"When I first found out that I was eligible to attend STEM
School for my 10th grade year, I was a little shocked, maybe even
worried. I had never switched schools before like this, and I would
be leaving the friends I had made at my old school behind. But
after learning more about the school, I decided to take a leap of
faith. I'm sure glad I did. The way STEM operates is so
different from other schools in Hamilton County, and in a very
positive way. Having everything you need in one place,
electronically, is such a big deal and easier than carrying around
binders and textbooks. Learning here is also at your own pace. If
you're struggling, you can get help. If you're advancing ahead, you
can work ahead in the curriculum. The program here at this school
is so dynamic and exciting. I would recommend it to everyone."
Tyler Benjamin, Class of 2017
"Real working situations often require people to work in groups,
but can they cope with this type of situation? Many schools don't
prepare students for working in a group setting, and that hurts
their ability to work in real world situations. When students enter
the work force they are expected to work with others, and end up
falling short. This is a problem and STEM School Chattanooga is the
solution. In our STEM School students are constantly forced
to work in groups. Every project is long term, and students never
work alone. The difficult task of having to contend with other
people's personalities while also getting work done is near
impossible, but students at the STEM School do it daily and do it
well. They are thrown in real world like situations with real world
like deadlines, and have learned to bring amazing results. After
working in these carefully crafted group settings they have to
present those sometimes embarrassing, yet extraordinary results,
forcing the best out them. Instead of the silence and
solitude that most schools require their students to work in, the
STEM School encourages socializing and uses it to get more work
done. It's time to give up on keeping children's social energies
behind bars, and start using them productively. It teaches children
skills that they can actually use instead of just general knowledge
giving them a leg-up in the business world." Chase
Brown, Class of 2017