STEM-ulating Minds: How TWCA is Engineering the Future in PreK-12

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- When visiting any PK-12 STEM classroom on campus, there is a palpable eagerness to learn and explore that amplifies the recent growth in our campus STEM programming.

Under the direction of Dr. Mark Crenshaw, Director of STEM, TWCA students are flourishing in a comprehensive and vertically-aligned STEM program. From the tiniest thinkers in Ms. Gonzales’ Lower School STEM class to the coding and college-ready minds in Mr. Westerduin’s Computer Science classes, there is no shortage of hands-on and exciting activities.

“We are growing, which is awesome," Dr. Crenshaw said. "The community support has just been unbelievable. Support from the Warrior Fund and the Gala has helped us with equipment, supplies, and robotics. So many things that did not exist here before, we now have. We have a vision for future growth and spaces to collaborate together.”

It is evident that the groundwork has been done to provide STEM programming rooted in the team’s mission of “instilling a set of foundational skills in an area of interest so when they leave us, they are fundamentally prepared” for post-secondary academics and for life.

That foundation starts young at TWCA, as Ms. Gonzales expounded on recently. “They should be talking with each other, sharing ideas, and helping each other redesign things when they don’t work out,” Gonzales said.

Those same life skills are being applied to the learning in Mrs. Harder’s middle school STEM classes. “I encourage the kids to be OK with being uncomfortable," Harder added. "They now know the answers don’t come right away,” alluding to the idea that the process is where the learning happens.

The foundational skills of working through a process, problem-solving, and applying soft skills become habit by the time students enter high school. The problems to be solved are more rigorous in Mr. Brown’s and Mr. Westerduin’s STEM classes, but students who have worked within the inquiry-based STEM classes prior are ready to go with the interpersonal skills needed to dig deeper, and more independently.

Woodlands Christian STEM teachers are passionate about the work and making a connection to God’s creativity from a biblical worldview. To be intentional about this integration, the STEM team is working through a book titled, "A Christian Field Guide to Technology for Engineers and Designers."

Stay tuned! We are excited to highlight each of our STEM teachers and their classes over the next few weeks.