Horizon: STEM Oriented Academy and Iowa Manufacturers
The need for a manufacturing workforce equipped with practical education and real-world experiences has never been more crucial. Horizon Science Academy in Des Moines is breaking new ground in early STEM education. With applied learning, technology and personalized learning, students are getting a leg up in learning skills that build careers that are critical to today’s economy.
With an emphasis on family and community engagement, their partnerships with local Iowa manufacturers, community leaders, economic developers and even the families of the students is creating a culture of empowerment and support. A tuition-free public charter school, students with a Des Moines zip code are invited to explore enrollment.
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Recruiting employees into careers in manufacturing has been a struggle for decades. It is common thought that if we expose our kids to the skills required and apply them to the exciting innovation that happens in manufacturing, we would be deepening our workforce pool.
Unfortunately, cracking that nut has been difficult. Aligning educational resources with manufacturing leadership and STEM careers that paint meaningful pictures for our kids has proven daunting.
Furthermore, in an era where roles are changing and requirements for new skills are advancing in the manufacturing as it evolves, the need for a workforce equipped with a practical education and real-world experience has never been more crucial.
How it Applies to Iowa Manufacturers
Enter Horizon Science Academy. This public charter school provides an opportunity to expose children from Kindergarten to 4th grade to everything STEM.
Every day includes access to hands-on technology and creative applied learning. From their common uniforms to activities like robotics and coding, their overarching emphasis is on building community and parent engagement, posing kids for success.
Pressing demands for tangible, real-world STEM-related opportunities are being met head-on by innovative educational approaches like those championed by Horizon Science Academy. Their focus on hands-on learning and real-world applications in the classroom is not just some type of educational reform; it’s a strategic move to empower the next generation of advanced product designers, engineers, machinists, and other key roles in manufacturing and other fields.
Future innovators and industry leaders are likely to be found at Horizon Science Academy, with teaching methods emphasizing practical applications over only theoretical learning. They are prioritizing learning experiences that motivate students. They also believe that STEM is essential for students to succeed in the 21st century.
Next on the Science Academy Horizon?
Their ask of us about manufacturing? A partnership. They would love to have kids tour your facility or have you come in and speak to the class about the exciting products you create.
Opened August 2023, Horizon Science Academy is a tuition-free charter public school, and the only local public charter school operating in Des Moines for the 2023-24 school year. They are expanding grade levels, moving from K – 3rd grade to offer K – 4th grade programming starting for 2024-25.
Let’s join them in helping shape the future architects of our Iowa manufacturing – and more seamless transitions into complex fields such as aerospace, defense, medical, and automotive manufacturing, and all STEM education future thinking fields.
Lean in with host Leisa Fox and the Iowa Manufacturing Podcast.
To partner with the school or find out more about enrollment, contact Emily Reiman at 515-335-1937 or email her at reiman@hsadesmoines.org.