Civil Municipal - June 2024

foundation in STEM education. “From the elementary levels, our focus is on providing all students with opportunities to engage with STEM during the school day.We weave these activities into the standard curriculum, aligning them with science, math, and social studies standards. It’s about taking their classroom learning further, making it hands-on and interactive.” Lane highlights the benefits of this early exposure, which helps students make informed decisions later. “When they reach middle and high school, they can choose courses that interest them, like advanced computer science or more challenging math classes. It’s about remembering that coding project they did in fifth grade and realizing they are passionate about it.” As students transition into higher grades, the opportunities continue to expand. Lane mentions the high school curriculum’s richness and alignment with real-world skills.“Our high school is particularly robust in its offerings. Students can take general math and science courses and push through AP and IB tracks.We’re also excited about new courses such as drone technology and an integrated marketing class, which enhance their STEM skills and readiness for modern career paths.” REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE THROUGH LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS As Fenton Area Public Schools propels its students towards success, it harnesses the power of community and industry partnerships to provide real-world experiences that complement academic learning. Superintendent Ciesielski discusses the district’s approach to integrating real-world experiences through strategic partnerships. “We’ve established a partnership with a countywide career and technical center which offers a variety of CTE and work-based programming. Additionally, we’ve initiated a promising partnership with Niles Industry for a pre-apprenticeship program. 153 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 06 FENTON AREA PUBL IC SCHOOLS