A Woz ED District of Distinction

Several districts and organizations received Woz ED District of Distinction Status at the 2024 Pathway Conference. One of those districts is Port Byron, New York, a UPK-12 district made up of about 750 students in Port Byron, NY. After discovering Woz ED in a magazine put out by the New York State School Board Association, Port Byron Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, Katie Naples, and the rest of the team decided it could be exactly what they needed. It turns out, they were right.

Naples has been orbiting Port Byron for many years now. After teaching elementary school at a neighboring school district and then working as a BOCES Professional Learning Coach for Port Byron, she took on an administrative role as Director of Curriculum, which finally led her to her position as Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment. She has set her sights on several strategic goals, one of which stands out in this conversation: Equitable STEM Experiences.

What Does Port Byron’s STEM Programming Look Like?

At Port Byron, STEM programming is broken up between grades UPK-4, 5-8, and 9-12. At the elementary level STEM kits are woven into science classes. Students have science classes daily and often work with Library Media Specialist, Molly Griffin, who has become a Woz ED kit leader and whom the children love to see coming into the classroom.

In grades 5-8, STEM is an elective class that is taken for an entire semester with Port Byron’s  STEM teacher, Ms. Netti. In addition, art teachers, Natalie Davis and Liz Diego, use Woz ED animation kits to teach Digital Animation. 

At the high school level, for those in 9-12 grade, Port Byron math teacher, Eric Elliott, teaches a drone course utilizing Woz resources. Several students are working towards securing their Drone Piloting License with his help.

All teachers and students are supported by BOCES Technology Integration Specialist Karen Schaub, who collaborates on lesson planning, project design, and professional learning for each kit.

Following The Excitement

As STEM education grows more popular, there is a wonderful idea that is emerging with it. Learning is exciting and fun. Molly Griffin told Katie that she loves to see the children’s faces as she enters the elementary school classrooms with her STEM cart. She tells her,

“They know what’s coming, and they are so excited.”

Naples uses the example of the Ozobot Fashion Show project that students recently participated in. This is a lesson out of the Woz ED Coding Pathway. Students got together in groups and coded their own Ozobot. They then created various outfits for their bots and held a friendly fashion show with them. The kids were giddy on the day of the fashion show, thrilled to present their projects. They were hooting and hollering. The energy in the space was palpable. This is what it’s all about. 

Since Port Byron is a small, rural district, it is rare for some students to have access to the sort of technology and resources that STEM learning requires. These collaborative projects truly encapsulate the nature of STEM education and show the Port Byron team how incredible it is to allow all students access to science and technology resources. When given hands-on learning opportunities where they ideate, collaborate, and create, students are able to grow and thrive in school.

The Future of STEM at Port Byron

This little New York school district has made huge strides already. In just one year, they have purchased and implemented all Woz ED pathways. Though, this is only the beginning. Naples and all the wonderful administrators and teachers at Port Byron have seen the effects of STEM programming and are committed to making it even better year after year.

Some goals they have for the future are: creating a “building-block” style of learning where students are introduced to new concepts using resources they are familiar with, dialing in their STEM implementation within high school electives, expanding learning opportunities for teachers, and implementing Level 3 and 4 Kits.

In a few weeks, Naples and her team will visit Lockport High School and learn about all the innovative ways they have woven Woz ED into their curriculum. We love to see our schools working together. The hope is to take what they learn and utilize it within their own classrooms. That, too, is the beautiful thing about the STEM community. Everyone is a teacher and a student. 

Naples is thrilled to be what she describes as “a piece of the puzzle.” She is in a position where she gets to think about and make decisions based on the greater good of Port Byron students. She, along with the rest of the Port Byron team, is dedicated to giving her students the best possible education that will allow them to reach their full potential. She credits her colleagues for most of the hard work, saying,

“This is only possible thanks to the incredible team of people around me.”