Rockhurst Hosts Regional STEM Conference

Rockhurst showed that they truly were academic leaders in the Region championing excellence in learning in a Jesuit institution. It was tremendous! - Former Rockhurst Parent

Rockhurst High School serves the greater education community. During March 13th and 14th of 2018, Rockhurst exemplified this service by hosting the AdvancED Missouri Join the Journey: Spotlighting STEM Conference. Over 100 educators from 12 states and 3 countries, representing over 50 schools attended to hear Rockhurst’s story of earning a STEM certification and learn how the process might work at their respective school.

The above interactive graphic shows who attended the conference. Click on a state to see more specific details.

Today, schools are challenged to provide a relevant educational experience for students. The conference participants watched the documentary Most Likely to Succeed, which articulates the new demands of today’s world. Pursuing a STEM certification is a formidable step towards for schools who want to continuously improve.

Congratulations to you and your team on executing an outstanding STEM conference. Thank you for including me. It is a testament to all of you on your organizational skills, vision, and focus. - Former Rockhurst Administrator

On the left, Becky Densmore, AdvancED Vice President of the North Region detailing the eleven STEM Certification Indicators for nearly three dozen conference attendees. Filip Sain is on the right. He is a mathematics teacher at the Phillips Exeter Academy, flew into Kansas City to share how students at his school experience a problem-based mathematics curriculum.

On the left, Rebecca Gubbels from the University of Missouri Kansas City Small Business Development Technology Center shares how she is working with Rockhurst and the Entrepreneurship for Others class to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset for Rockhurst High School students. On the right, Chris Bosco, Assistant Principal for Student Affairs at Rockhurst High School, shares how STEM methodology and pedagogy are used within Rockhurst's student health & wellness initiatives.

In order for a school to earn a STEM certification, a school must provide evidence and artifacts of exemplar practice that supports the eleven indicators of the AdvancED STEM Standard. Each of the conference’s 30 breakout sessions (the session program can be seen here) represented practices and behaviors of these eleven indicators. Therefore, each of the 30+ sessions empowered educators with tools, contacts and steps that they can implement at their respective schools.

Thank you for an insightful and well-constructed conference! I met a lot of wonderful people and learned a great deal about the incredible work being done at Rockhurst and other organizations in our region. I look forward to sharing my learning with my KC STEM colleagues. - Community Partner

Rockhurst High School desires to serve the community. Students at Rockhurst participate in thousands of hours of community service each year. Nearly fifty faculty, administration and staff modeled this same behavior, but in service to their counterparts at other schools. This STEM Conference is simply one indicator and artifact that Rockhurst is helping lift up education across the entire community. Rockhurst High School’s mission is to form “Men with and for Others”; this conference is an example of how the school models for its students by being a “School with and for Others.”

Special thanks to the Creators Group (Formerly the Eighty 80 Rule) for putting together the following VLOG of the event!

Thanks for taking the time and effort to host this conference. This was a great opportunity for me as I begin initiating the STREAM initiative at my school. I was able to get a great amount of information from the sessions and spend time talking and collaborating with others who attended. - Local Catholic Parochial School Principal