Blog Post

Innovation Academy’s Second Year Features Even More Hands-on Learning

Innovation Academy is off to a great start in our second year. We added eighth grade this year and are excited to continue preparing these students for future STEM careers.Read more The post Innovation Academy’s Second Year Features Even More Hands-on Learning appeared first on Tennessee STEM Innovation Network.

Sandy Watkins is the Principal of Innovation Academy in Kingsport, a platform school of the TSIN. Here she shares reflections from their first week of school.

Innovation Academy is off to a great start in our second year. We added eighth grade this year and are excited to continue preparing these students for future STEM careers.

Exploring Pulmonology with a real set of pig lungs!

Our related arts department has grown, as well, with the addition of Project Lead the Way (PLTW), STEM Wellness, and more. With PLTW, all of our students will have the opportunity to hone their engineering prowess through project-based learning. STEM Wellness, in conjunction with NutriSlice , an online nutritional program, will give students the knowledge and tools necessary for living a more healthy lifestyle. And IA’s new multimedia teacher will work with students to craft stunning and effective visual presentations for transdisciplinary STEM curricular units.

As they did last year, three of our partners, Eastman , Domtar , and Wellmont Health System , joined with the faculty at IA to teach classes during our first week of school. Students were engaged in experiments using physics and chemistry and learned more about nutrition, diabetes, suturing, and first aid.

With year number one “under our belt” we are ready and excited for year two as we continue to develop the intellectual, social, and physical capabilities of our students by implementing a STEM curriculum that promotes college and career readiness.