South Ripley Elementary Becomes STEM Certified

Fifteen new schools were added to the STEM Certified Schools list on Monday.

(Versailles, Ind.) – South Ripley Elementary School is among 15 schools statewide that are newly-certified as leaders in STEM education.

The Indiana Department of Education’s announcement on Monday brings Indiana’s total number of STEM Certified Schools to more than 100 statewide.

South Ripley Elementary School joins Aurora Elementary as the only two schools in Eagle Country to become STEM Certified.

“This is a tremendous accomplishment for SRES.  During a strategic planning session four years ago, our school board set the direction for having our schools become STEM certified.  The SRES staff accepted the challenge and worked very hard to achieve this certification.  The leadership of SRES administrators Ryan Lauber and Kris Wood, and the tireless work of the STEM team including Brett Miller, Sheena Speer, Julia Heidlage, Leslie Rennie and Neal Herzog has resulted in SRES becoming the first STEM certified school in Ripley County.  With an application that was described as “exemplary” by the IDOE, the SRES team earned 74 out of a possible 75 points on the STEM rubric.   This certification shows that our students are highly engaged in learning STEM concepts across the curriculum at SRES as we fulfill our mission of educating students today to become responsible citizens of tomorrow.”  - Rob Moorhead, South Ripley Superintendent

The STEM Certified Schools program recognized schools committed to teaching STEM disciplines beyond the classroom.  

Each of the newly certified schools completed a rigorous application process, which must be repeated every five years to remain certified.

“South Ripley Elementary is extremely excited about becoming STEM certified through the Indiana Department of Education.  Our application was the highest scored application ever received, and the IDOE has stated that SRES is a model for schools across the state looking to create a STEM environment for their students. The vision for this certification was set by our school board, and it was achieved with the hard work of our STEM committee.  The teachers, students, and parents of our community should be proud of this honor.” – Ryan Lauber, South Ripley Elementary Principal

This year’s new STEM Certified Schools are:

• Bailly STEM Academy, Gary Community School Corporation
• Brentwood Elementary School, Plainfield Community School Corporation
• Career Academy High School South Bend             
• Career Academy Middle School South Bend    
• Edgewood Junior High, Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corporation
• Farmersville Elementary School, MSD Mount Vernon
• Guilford Elementary School, Plainfield Community School Corporation
• Indiana Math & Science Academy West
• John S. Irwin Elementary School, Fort Wayne Community Schools
• Marrs Elementary School, MSD Mount Vernon
• North Side Elementary School, Randolph Eastern Community Schools
• South Ripley Elementary School, South Ripley Community School Corporation
• Van Buren Elementary School, Plainfield Community School Corporation
• West Elementary School, MSD Mount Vernon
• Whitney Young Early Childhood Center, Fort Wayne Community Schools

For more information, visit DOE: Indiana’s STEM Certified Schools.