Last week, we told you about the Itz'at STEAM Academy, the newest and most innovative project of the Ministry of Education. While its students will receive education across a wide range of subjects, it will zero on the STEAM subjects, which are important to Belize's development.
This school not only hopes to provide students with the kind of theoretical and practical learning that is not currently available in other high schools, but also to allow them to branch out into new career fields - engineering, graphic design, architecture - that would normally require them to study abroad.
And the school's staff is invested in the possibilities that Itz'at will offer, once it officially opens later this year. Courtney Menzies spoke with the principal and two teachers to get their vision for the academy.
The Itz'at STEAM Academy is coming this September and the expectations are high for advancement not only in education but also in Belize's development. With a focus on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, the hope is that the latent skills of students who have an eye for design or an eagerness to create will manifest in the high schoolers, leading them into career paths they never thought were possible.
And the principal of the school, John Newport, explained that's it's a transformative project:
John Newport, Principal, Itz'at STEAM Academy
"What we're hoping is by thinking about doing education in different ways and making education far more hands on and project based, we will prepare students for high demand careers in science and technology fields, either immediately when they graduate from the school or after a period of further study and in doing that we hope that we are providing the technical expertise the the country needs for sustainable development over the next couple of decades."
"So for example, we might look at smart agriculture, where the agricultural system could become more efficient if we had technicians coming out of the high schools and university who know how to improve crop yields and irrigation and crop management. We also look potentially at areas like sustainable development, renewable energy, and then other jobs in the communications field that you don't need to go abroad to do, so digital media jobs, there's no reason why someone who's an Itz'at STEAM Academy graduate can't be working from Belize for an international company on web design, graphic design and so on."
"From day 1, we'll be challenging our students, what are the problems you are facing, what are the problems your family is facing? How do these link to global development and national sustainable development? And even as a first former, can you think of ways of helping, can you think of solutions, can we design prototypes that can, for example help solve the Belize waste management issue? And then we'll build on that and build with partners in the city and across the country to try to really connect education to real word challenges and real world sustainable development."
And one of the key learning area teachers - who specializes in science - says that this type of hands-on, practical based learning is what students have been yearning for. She explained that during the staff's recruitment exercises at primary schools, that the talent is there, it just needs to be developed.
Kristy Chable, KLA Teacher, Itz'at STEAM Academy
"We visit students and we can see where we give them a scenario that is related to Belize, for example, they're building a new bridge, the Haulover Bridge, and you tell students fine, you're designers, let's design a new bridge, and you see students with paletas sticks and paper, glue gun and they go ahed and design this bridge and they say it's going to be stable and whatnot and this is something that students don't get an opportunity to do because they're most here learning about the theory, what is a bridge, why is it important, what materials do we need to use, but these students are applying that and being able to design that for themselves and learning while they're doing."
"I think it's very important that these students have solutions and these students are very creative and with us providing that network for them, and being able to work with organizations, they can help find solutions for these real problems so I think when students hear that, they're like, so my voice is going to be heard, and I'm going to actually contribute to something in my community, which I think is very important for our students at Itz'at STEAM Academy, for them to be able to use their voice and be innovators and go out there and create something and always give back to our communities."
And another KLA teacher plans to combine art and technology:
Kirkland Smith, KLA Teacher, Itz'at STEAM Academy
"Art really helps the students to build their creativity, and to help them imagine and to think deep about what they're doing, so it's about the concept, any design, anything that is created is first imagined, and the students we want to help them to expand their imagination to let them know that the impossible is possible, that anything that they can imagine can be put on paper and can become a reality in how they construct it and how they design it."
"And for us at STEAM our aim is not only to teach the technical skills of arts, it's for us to look into the animation, digital art, graphic design, so it's not just about the traditional art, fine arts, it's about more advance and modern and up to date, using the softwares that will be available for our students."
"I think one of the aim of the school one of our purpose is to help students look at at those careers that are available, that they can be working from home in Belize but working for Pixar or working for another studio in the international market but at the same time they will be building something that can be used in Belize, so we think about what is needed in Belize and what is important for us."
And while the school is still under construction, the online applications are wide open for standard six students to sign up.
Students can apply at itzat.edu.bz. In its first year, 75 students will be eligible for enrollment.
