JEROMESVILLE — The Hillsdale board of education approved a high school-level STEAM course at its meeting Tuesday, expanding a program the district piloted earlier this year.
The acronym “STEAM” stands for science, technology, engineering, art and math.
A new course, “Introduction to STEAM,” will offer students an introduction to printmaking, the use of hand and electric tools, drones, introduction to robotics, electricity and coding/computer-assisted drawing.
The course is offered to students in ninth through 12th grade. It lasts for a semester, and students earn half a credit. It counts as an elective. Students have a course fee of $45 for their participation.
The class adds onto a curriculum fourth through eighth grade students started engaging with at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year.
Dave Baker, Hillsdale’s STEAM teacher, said earlier this year the district wants to become a “STEAM” district. His goal was for the courses to offer students both hands-on fun, and to broaden their future opportunities.
In August, Baker told Ashland Source he had proposed three courses for high schoolers. The new “Introduction to STEAM” course was one of them. The class will be offered at Hillsdale next semester.
So far, Baker said eight students plan to take the class.
“Once word travels and more students hear about the opportunity, we anticipate that number will grow,” Baker said.
Baker also planned to propose a robotics course and a drone licensure course at the beginning of the year. He said he’s still looking at providing those courses for students, but is waiting on proposing the drone licensure course in particular due to the cost.
He added he hopes to propose a STEAM capstone course in the near future too.
