Mercy Symposium Recognizes First Cohort of Teachers to Complete Westchester STEM Ambassador Program
The Mercy College Center for STEM education, in partnership with the Ossining Union Free School District, hosted a symposium in March 2022 to recognize the achievements of 48 K-8 educators who were the first cohort to complete the Westchester STEM Ambassador Program.
During the symposium, teams of teachers from participating districts in Ossining, Elmsford, New Rochelle, Port Chester, Tarrytown and White Plains, who spent the year-long Ambassador program building the skills, resources and knowledge base needed to integrate computer science, engineering, and robotics into their respective classrooms, presented their final group research projects in the Rotunda on the Dobbs Ferry Campus.
The grant that supports the Ambassador Program is part of Smart Start, a program of the New York State Education Department which last year awarded the Ossining School District $250,000 annually. The funding will be used to develop, implement, and share new models and best practices that will increase expertise in computer science, engineering, and/or educational technology among educators in grades K-8, including teaching assistants, librarians, and speech therapists. As part of the grant, professional development was provided by the Center for STEM Education, headed by Associate Professor Amanda Gunning and Professor Meghan Marrero. As a follow up to the symposium, teachers in the six Westchester districts will share their knowledge and curriculum plans with their fellow educators and school districts across New York via a webpage hosted by Ossining.
The major goal of the program is to expand student access and participation in STEM subjects in the grades before high school. “It’s important to note that the participating schools in this consortium are high needs — districts where students typically don’t have the same exposure to much-needed STEM subjects like computer science and engineering as students in other districts,” said Mary Ushay, assistant director of the Center for STEM Education.
Christopher DeMattia, director of STEM Education at Ossining and the lead contact on the grant, acknowledged the hard work displayed by all participants. He praised Mercy College for its partnership in providing the Ambassadors with professional development content, as well as for planning and hosting the event. To the presenters he added, “Thank you on behalf of all of us, for bringing your expertise and passion for STEM to this collaboration. We look forward to the tremendous impact [you] will have on student learning over the [coming years].”
The program will continue for four more years, training up to 50 educators each year. Organizers of the program are now recruiting participants for the second cohort, which will begin in September. “By supporting 250 teachers, this work will transform STEM teaching and learning in all six school districts,” said Marrero.