Pictured is Edgewood Middle School’s STEM leadership team. Photo provided by Warsaw Community Schools.

Press Release

WARSAW — Edgewood Middle School has recently been certified by the Indiana Department of Education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

This STEM certification puts Edgewood in the company of Claypool, Jefferson, Madison, and Washington Elementary Schools, all of which are also certified in STEM.

“We are so proud of Edgewood and all the work by their teachers, staff and administration to achieve this state recognition,” said Warsaw Community Schools’ Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert. “It has been a team approach with the goal of continuing our corporation’s K-12 STEM programming and our local students will receive the benefit of this dedicated work. Warsaw Schools has proven itself as a national leader in STEM education and this recognition is another step in that continued growth to ensure we are meeting the needs of our local community industrial needs.”

Established in 2015, the STEM Certified Schools program recognizes schools that prioritize STEM education and engage in innovative, non-traditional teaching methods, including project-based learning, community engagement, and cross-curricular collaboration.

STEM Certified Schools are held to rigorous educational standards, and are expected to excel under the system of accountability set by the state.

The certification process for Edgewood Middle School was strenuous, requiring teachers and administrators to complete a rigorous application and review process. The hard work paid off; they received a perfect score from the IDOE site visit on March 15 and a near-perfect score of 74 out of 75 on the IDOE’s certification report.

This achievement highlights Edgewood’s commitment to focusing on 21st century skills, cross-curricular collaboration and College and Career Readiness.

Over the past several years, Edgewood’s teachers have received extensive project-based learning training and designed cross-curricular PBL units. Additionally, the school’s STEM leadership team and community partners have played an instrumental role in the progress toward STEM certification.

With this achievement, EMS will continue to offer students a robust, innovative, and engaging STEM curriculum that prepares them for success in a rapidly evolving workforce.

To hear more about Edgewood’s STEM journey, tune in to Warsaw Community Schools’ TigerCast, a podcast designed to tell the story of Warsaw Schools and inform the community about the great things happening to serve students. This past week, EMS Principal JoElla Hauselman and Project Lead The Way teacher Abbi Richcreek shared about EMS’s STEM journey.

In addition to the programming provided at the STEM certified buildings, WCS’s Warsaw Inquiry Learning Lab Bus is a state-of-the-art mobile lab that serves as an interactive mobile STEM laboratory for students. Dan Graney, a WCS veteran teacher of 34 years, has been recently hired as WILL Bus STEM coach and instructor.

Graney also serves as the Warsaw Community Education Association Vice-President and the elementary summer school program administrator.