ELK VALLEY, Tenn. — Elk Valley Elementary in Campbell County is small enough for every student from kindergarten through eighth grade to take a field trip on just a few buses. And that's what the entire school did Thursday on a sunny day at Indian Mountain State Park.
"This is a beautiful place to learn about water conservation and environmental reclamation. The park itself was once part of a mining operation," said Steve Greek, a special education teacher who also serves as the unofficial assistant principal. "Our students are also learning about creating electricity with micro hydro-power."
The students and teachers constantly work to find problems and solve them. The assignment the rural school focused on this year was obtaining official STEM designation from the state, despite the obstacles presented by a small tax base with minimal resources.
"We gained STEM designation yesterday (Wednesday) and we are extremely excited about this. It was a lot of work in the last year and we are so proud of the accomplishment of our students and teachers," said Greek.
The Tennessee Department of Education designated 11 new STEM schools Wednesday. Elk Valley Elementary, Oliver Springs High School, and Farragut High School were the three schools in East Tennessee to receive the designation.
The mood among the 115 students at Elk Valley was electric, especially considering the school's relative lack of resources compared to many other schools to receive the designation.
"We are extremely rural without much tax revenue. We have always had to overcome with fewer resources and do more with less, but we have great students and teachers," said Nancy Lay, principal of Elk Valley Elementary. "This was a school-wide thing. The students were part of this and took ownership. We were at the conference in Nashville when the announcement was made. When we found out, the first thing we did was call the school and tell all the students over the intercom before the news got out. We wanted them to be the first to know."
The STEM designation is earned by developing a curriculum designed to help students succeed in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The Elk Valley teachers made sure to note they still place a heavy emphasis on art, then joked the school could add an A to STEM for a mythical STEAM designation.
The STEM designation does not mean the state will provide more funding or install new programs at Elk Valley. The designation is official recognition of what the school is already accomplishing. But the recognition could result in more resources.
"Being on the list, we are hopeful it will help us when we compete for grants and possibly partner with industry," said Lay. "Our students, this will help prepare them as they move on to high school and to college or a vocation. They will already have the knowledge base."
The students and teachers also hope to provide a road map for other small schools to obtain STEM designation.
"It can be accomplished by any of the schools in Tennessee. And we're hoping to be a part of that," said Greek.