Next year’s incoming freshmen will be required to take a STEM class, a project-based class that explores the future of science, technology, engineering or math careers, in place of digital citizenship. The class will also be an elective for sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

  Mr. Andrew Ramker, current digital citizenship teacher, will teach the course. Ramker, along with a committee of freshman teachers, is currently writing the curriculum.

  “I think the projects will be exciting and will get students curious about the STEM class. The future of STEM-related careers is very bright, and hopefully this class sets the foundation for STEM learning,” Ramker said. “I think the part that will be alluring for all of our students is the problem solving and real world simulations.”

  All classes, not just science and math classes, will integrate lessons of STEM into their every-day curriculum. Theology classes found it hard at first to connect some of the ideas, but the freshman-level theology teachers are anxious to see this curriculum in place.

  “The STEM mission for BNI is to transform learning to be anchored in a real-world context where students are engaged with solving global problems through mastery of core content knowledge and 21st Century Skills,” Mrs. Mary Albrecht, freshman theology teacher said. “Theology will integrate with the STEM exploration class in a variety of ways. A majority of the time we will look at the Catholic Social Teaching perspective and the ethics of the real world topics. We will look at what does it mean to be a Catholic and explore ideas of math, science, technology, engineering, and 21st Century learning.”