By Joëlle Walls
Published in GoSTEAM's A Program in Review 2018-2024
STEAM Specialist Summer Blackmon has been with the GoSTEAM initiative since its inception and has witnessed Centennial Academy’s remarkable journey in STEAM education. She noted that while the K-8 school already offered STEAM instruction, the GoSTEAM initiative provided an enhanced foundation that significantly advanced its efforts. With the support of CEISMC staff, including Program Director Sabrina Grossman, Centennial Academy achieved STEM certification in 2022 from Cognia, a nonprofit organization that accredits primary and secondary schools both nationally and internationally.
“GoSTEAM has provided our school with a multitude of opportunities through its framework of professional development, innovators, and coaches,” Blackmon said. “I truly believe that our school has grown in its overall understanding of STEAM instruction which led to our certification.”
Blackmon described the first year in GoSTEAM as a pivotal moment when the school relaunched its project showcase. “We featured several arts-integrated projects that included tableaus about pollution and projects that used EarSketch, a music coding platform, to create pieces around social injustices,” Blackmon said. “Parents, teachers, and community stakeholders shared their excitement about the projects rooted in authenticity and the scholars’ ability to speak to their products in meaningful ways.”
Over the past year, GoSTEAM innovator-in-residence Eric Mack collaborated with Blackmon to create lessons that aligned with state standards and focused on visual arts, natural science, and engineering. Mack brought his expertise as an elementary educator, visual artist, painter, and gardener to second, sixth, and eighth graders in unique ways.
With second graders, Mack led seed germination projects where students documented their seedlings’ growth in STEAM journals, comparing indoor and outdoor success rates. They also transplanted classroom-grown seeds to the school garden and maintained it on a rotation basis.
“Many students were familiar with gardening through their families, but some had never experienced it. They were incredibly inspired and motivated. Gardening is truly magical because it embodies life itself; it teaches patience, nurturing, and the profound joy of watching something grow from a tiny seed,” Mack said. “For example, in the second week of the project, the second graders were bursting with excitement, even those whose seeds didn’t sprout. It became a powerful teachable moment for problem-solving and resilience.”
During Centennial Academy’s STEAM Fridays, Mack guided sixth- and eighth-grade students through the design thinking process to create their own sneaker designs using 3D modeling software Tinkercad and air-dry clay for prototypes. “GoSTEAM is important because it offers multiple entry points for each lesson, accommodating all learning styles, from visual to kinesthetic,” he said. “This variety of methods ensures essential engagement for every type of learner. The impact on students is profound, fostering creativity, critical thinking, and a love for learning.”
