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Virginia Department of Education

Information on this page is provided by the Office of Career & Technical Education
and the
Division of Special Education and Student Services.

Staff Contacts - Office of Career & Technical Education

Staff Contacts - Division of Special Education and Student Services

Established STEM Academies

Governor’s STEM Academy at the Burton Center for Arts and Technology

Project Title: Governor’s STEM Academy at the Burton Center for Arts and Technology

Project Lead: Burton Center for Arts and Technology

Program Focus: The program at the Burton Center for Arts and Technology focuses on engineering and technology, facility and mobile equipment maintenance, and journalism and broadcasting. Student learning and achievement are enhanced through integration of academic, STEM curriculum, applied technology, and increased participation in student organizations.

Partners: Roanoke County Public Schools; Virginia Western Community College; and Virginia Tech University

Board Of Education Approved Governor’s Academy Application

Executive Summary

Partnership Members: Roanoke County Public Schools; Virginia Western Community College; Mason Mechanical Labs; Virginia Tech University; Roanoke Regional Partnership; Balzer and Associates, Inc.; Development Initiatives, Inc.; Western Virginia Workforce Development Board; Carilion Biomed Institute; Novozymes; Plastics One; East West DyeCom; General Electric; Wireless Medcare; Lionberger Construction; Precision Steel; Carilion TSG; Hughes Associates; Carilion Physics; Accellent Cardiology; Spectrum Engineers; AECOM; Hill Studios; Salem Specialties, Inc.; Synchrony; Shenandoah Machine & Maintenance Co., Inc.; Graham-White Mfg; Sematco, Inc.; E & W Machine; Valley Machine; J. C. Nordt; WSLS 10; WDBJ 7; Roanoke-Times; Access Advertising, The O’Connor Group; Carter Media; Wheeler Broadcasting; Blue Ridge PBS;  Arcet; Overfelt & Son Welding; Lincoln Electric; New Millennium Steel; Thermal Dynamics; Miller Welders; NASCAR; Tread Corporation; Mountain Land Machine; DRP Racing; Berglund Automotive.

Lead Entity: Burton Center for Arts and Technology

Fiscal Agent: Roanoke County Public Schools

Contact Person:
Dr. Cecil Snead
STEM Academy Coordinator
Phone: 540-562-3900
E-mail: csnead@rcs.k12.va.us

Academy Location:
Governor’s STEM Academy at the Burton Center for Arts and Technology
1760 Roanoke Boulevard
Salem, VA 24153

Number of Students Served: The Roanoke County Governor’s STEM Academy will have the capacity to enroll 226 students, grades 9-12, during the initial school year (2012-2013).

Career Pathways: Engineering and Technology, Facility and Mobile Equipment Maintenance, Journalism and Broadcasting

Academy Goals and Description: The Roanoke County Governor’s STEM Academy will provide rigorous academic content concentrating on three career pathways: Engineering and Technology, Journalism and Broadcasting, and Facility and Mobile Equipment Maintenance. Student learning and achievement will be enhanced through the integration of academic, STEM curriculum, applied technology, and increased participation in career and technical student organization leadership events.

The overall goals of the Governor’s STEM Academy are to provide students with the 21st-century, STEM-enriched technological skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in postsecondary education and in the world of work through authentic, rigorous, project-based work while building partnerships with parents, community and business leaders to meet these goals.

Specific Governor’s STEM Academy objectives include:

• Improve academic achievement of Academy students by increasing academic rigor and relevance within selected pathways.
• Increase completion of dual enrollment courses.
• Provide workplace readiness experiences through strong partnerships with businesses.
• Increase high school graduation rates.
• Reduce dropout rates.
• Increase enrollment and retention in postsecondary education.
• Increase the number of students completing a college and workplace ready curriculum in high school.
• Reduce the number of students requiring remediation in college.

• Increase the number of industry certifications awarded to high school students.
• Increase the number of graduates employed in high-wage, high-skilled careers.

Highlights of the Academy: As a result of participating in the Governor’s STEM Academy in the pathways of Engineering and Technology, Facility and Mobile Equipment Maintenance, and Journalism and Broadcasting students will:

• Gain a deeper understanding of the skills and knowledge incorporated in their fields of study;
• Benefit from specialized, project-based courses which develop critical-thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, preparing them for the 21st-century world;
• Acquire greater communication skills;
• Develop workplace readiness skills;
• Receive opportunities to earn industry certifications preparing them to be more competitive in the work force and when applying to advanced training schools or postsecondary institutions;
• Obtain meaningful, real-life, hands-on experiences in their career pathway; and
• Profit from opportunities for internships, mentorships, job shadowing, and cooperative education, which provide students with advantages when entering postsecondary education and/or the workplace.

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