EDUCATION IS PROSPERING in the Little Elm Independent School District (LEISD), with plans to break ground this fall on the highly-anticipated K-8 Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Academy. The school will be the first of its kind in Texas, designed to deliver forward-thinking instruction to kindergarten through eighth grade students. The approximately 80,000 square-foot STEM Academy will take residence on a 31-acre parcel in The Tribute, a 1,600-acre lakeside golf and resort community located in The Colony, and will open its doors for the 2014-2015 school year.
The school design includes beautiful facades to complement The Tribute’s architecture, while the physical space provides opportunity to be used as a teaching tool. Grade levels are divided into “houses” rather than traditional hallways lined with classrooms. The STEM approach champions collaboration, which is why these “houses” are connected by a two-story atrium for school-wide meetings and to facilitate small group instruction and discussion.
The vision of the STEM Academy is to create a collaborative learning environment. As a project-based learning campus, the STEM Academy provides students an authentic experience in lessons of discovery with real-world applications. Additionally, the district plans to implement project-based learning on a smaller scale in all of its campuses. The goal is to provide rigorous, quality instruction to every student in LEISD, continuously considering the needs of each campus. Currently, LEISD provides laptops for students in grades 6-12.
It is a brand-new day in the Little Elm Independent School District, one where the finest education is available to the next generation of thinkers. For more information about the STEM Academy, visit leisd.ws or call LEISD at 972-292-1847. For more information about The Tribute Lakeside Golf & Resort Community, visit thetribute.com.
As featured in Frisco Style magazine, August 2013.