The Community Foundation of St. Joseph County and Harrison Primary Center have adopted the Responsive Classroom approach, providing students with a sense of belonging, safety, and significance.

To see the role technological advancements are playing in higher education, we visited Ivy Tech Community College in Warsaw, home of the Orthopedic & Advanced Manufacturing Training Center.

Five Star Life started in 2005, and is now in school districts across the nation, serving thousands of students. Through the use of curriculum, intentional mentoring, and experiential learning, students receive character education, leadership development, improve their academics, and learn to refocus and tackle obstacles.

We speak to Dr. Shelly Walker, superintendent of Benton Harbor Schools, about the successes she has seen after one year on the job. She speaks candidly about the positives and challenges in the school system. We also visit one of her schools, MLK STEAM Academy, to learn more about the awards celebration and their approach to tackling behavior.

It’s great to see examples of community members who pour into students’ success and education. A group of volunteers decided to take initiative to keep the Benton Harbor High School library open, and have been dedicated to this mission ever since.

We revisit Goshen College students involvement in community service and how they are giving back to teachers.

Those involved in St. Joe CEO share their insight on the program and how it has shaped them.

OrthoWorx in Warsaw, IN, is investing in education, preparing students to become young professionals in the orthopedic industry. Brad Bishop, Executive Director of OrthoWorx, believes that a STEM education allows young talent to stay here locally.

Educators gathered for the “Success Starts Early,” breakfast seminar to discuss, identify, and address gaps in access to high quality and affordable learning.

We spoke with the Berrien County Health Department about the increasing shortage of school nurses and health curriculum in our schools.

We were at Grissom Middle School, in Mishawaka, IN, for a student celebration. Grissom Middle School Principal, Nathan Boyd, recently won the 2016 Indiana Middle School Principal of the Year award by the Indiana Association of School Principals. This is the highest award in the state of Indiana.

In 2009, the United States education system realized that they needed to make significant improvements in order to prepare students for the workforce. Some of these renewed efforts, known as STEM education, have provided students opportunities to take ownership in their learning. Roosevelt STEAM Academy is the first STEAM Academy in Elkhart, Indiana. Students are more optimistic and show a love for learning.

Washington STEM Academy is a certified STEM school, which focuses on reading and writing. Edgewood Middle School and Warsaw High School are investigating becoming STEM certified, but right now offer STEM classes. STEM classes allow students to explore, investigate, and deepen their learning. Although these three schools in Warsaw, IN, do not have the “STEAM” title, they say that they bring in the arts. Students’ projects involve illustrations of stories, watercolors, and pottery, for example.

STEM with Sass has partnered with the Elkhart Public Library for a program called Cookies & Coding.