STEM electives coming to Cullman Middle School this fall

Benjamin Bullard, The Cullman Times, Ala.
·2 min read

Feb. 17—Middle school students at Cullman will soon have the option to enroll in a slate of new science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) elective courses, thanks to a recent grant that will initiate a three-year STEM program for younger students beginning this fall.

City Schools superintendent Kyle Kallhoff announced the award at this week's regular meeting of the Cullman City school board. "We recently received a grant for just under $200,000 to begin a STEM elective for the middle school," Kalhoff told the board, which this month met on the middle school campus.

"This is a three year grant on current computer science and health sciences at the middle school, and it also generates excitement for stimulating coursework [that can lead to] post-secondary opportunities."

February is recognized as Career and Technical Education (CTE) month nationwide by the Association for Career and Technical Education, and Kalhoff said the city school system is focused on training students in practical skill areas that can give them an advantage in entering the tech-facing job market once they graduate.

"In our schools, CTE programs for middle and high school become a rigorous, progressive part of the education system that prepares students with a wide range of careers that require very different levels of education," he said. "Our instructors and director work closely with leaders in industry to ensure that our programs are training students in the skills that employers need most."

Cullman High School presently offers six CTE programs in hands-on areas ranging from health sciences to drafting to agriculture and more. As with its similar STEM efforts, Kalhoff said the school system continues to worked toward synchronizing CTE training for students between middle school and high school instruction, so that middle school students interested in vocational instruction can "align with the high school to [meet] industry needs and [take advantage of] dual enrollment opportunities."

News Editor Amanda Shavers contributed to this report.