Full STEAM Ahead at Staten Island Academy
By Douglas Hatt
Over the past few decades, educators have recognized the importance of incorporating STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) into their curricula. These subjects provide young scholars with access to careers in fields like medicine, computer science, architecture, and finance, as well as a variety of other disciplines. In recent years, however, schools have realized that adding A, as in the Arts, integrates more imaginative methods into technical and scientific education.
Staten Island Academy has always recognized the importance of STEAM. That’s why the 141-year-old independent pre-K3 through 12 school is expanding its efforts and infrastructure to offer students a more complete STEAM experience.
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The school recently unveiled its newly designed Innovation Lab. This exciting new addition features 3D laser printers, laser engravers, industrial sewing and embroidery machines, soldering stations, and interactive displays with touchscreen and broadcasting capabilities.
Additionally, the school has recently renovated its 2D art studio, which is flooded by natural light and offers flexibility in space that enables students to paint and draw in a way that’s most comfortable to them, whether working individually or collaborating with a group. The space and its adjacent Innovation Lab have direct access to the technology and the expansive 13-acre grounds of the Todt Hill campus.
“We see this as a space where students can express themselves in multiple ways and cultivate a sense of creativity that they may never have imagined before,” says Caroline Crane, the school’s Director of Admissions.
Empowering Students to Meet the Future with Confidence
The Staten Island Academy leadership believes that STEAM is valuable to its students because it equips them with critical thinking, innovative, and problem-solving skills needed to thrive in a technology-driven world.
“We are educating children for a future that is largely unknown,” says Dr. Eileen F. Corigliano, Staten Island Academy’s Head of School. “Because we know that creative problem solvers have the ability to see beyond traditional explanations. So our curriculum centers on teaching children to learn, collaborate, and adapt to solve real-world problems.”
The school has also renovated its already impressive Stanley Library, which houses more than 10,000 volumes of print and non-print materials and subscriptions to over 50 periodicals. Open to students, their parents and immediate families, faculty, staff, and alumni, the 1,700-square-foot library is a multi-cultural space that retains the sense of a traditional library with a contemporary feel.
In addition, the library offers students a wide variety of technological resources for students to use, including laptop and desktop computers, iPads, printers, copiers, and a projection system.
A Theater and Performing Arts Space in Tune with Today’s World
The Haugen Hall Theater, Staten Island Academy’s 248-seat performing arts center, has also been renovated and features state-of-the-art lighting and sound equipment and an 800-square-foot stage to showcase the school’s yearly parade of dramatic and musical offerings available to the Staten Island Academy community.
A Fully Integrated Approach
Elements of STEAM have been embedded into the curriculum at Staten Island Academy for decades, but this focused approach by curated faculty will guide students through an ever-changing technological landscape. Understandably, it’s impossible to think about new technology without acknowledging artificial intelligence. Staten Island Academy is at the forefront of helping students adapt to this challenging technology, recognizing its ethical pitfalls and harnessing its vast potential.
At Staten Island Academy, while academics are strongly emphasized — each year, the school places graduates in leading universities throughout the country — the school remains committed to educating “the whole child,” providing numerous opportunities for extracurricular activities, academic competitions, athletics, theater productions, and service projects that connect the Academy to the greater Staten Island community.
To learn more about Staten Island Academy and its facilities, visit statenislandacademy.org or call 718-987-8100.
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