Laing Middle School of Science & Technology is transforming the way children learn by helping them become “STEM Thinkers”. The profile of the South Carolina graduate is that all children should have world class knowledge, skills, and exposure to life and career characteristics. Laing’s Whole School STEM initiative is designed for students to utilize the tools of science, technology, engineering, and math to solve a variety of real-world problems in all content areas. We are empowering our students with skills they need to become responsible and successful 21st century citizens.
During the 2021-2022 school year, the COVID pandemic had a tremendous impact on school-wide operations. I am proud to say the Laing team was still able to provide excellent instruction for our students. This was possible because of the extensive list of practices and protocols that were put in place. This is a credit to our teachers/staff, parents, and the Charleston County School District.
Also in 2021, Laing was recognized by the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) as a Program Excellence Award winner for our STEM program! It is one of the highest honors given to technology and engineering education programs at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. These award-winning programs serve as a standard for comparison and models for the development of other programs. We are proud of this recognition as it is a credit to the work of our outstanding students and teachers.
Our STEM initiative is based on the use of a three-pronged approach to educating our students. All teachers use the Engineering Design Process (EDP) in their classes as a method for solving problems. We also incorporate nationally recognized standards for developing a technologically literate student and provide hands-on experiences for our students and present cross-curricular units of study which are developed by our teachers. This curriculum approach allows our students to see relevancy and connections between what is taught in the classroom and what surrounds them in the world.
Laing is also committed to excelling in the arts and athletics. Laing students are involved in a variety of extra-curricular programs including Award-winning Orchestra, Band, and Chorus programs. Our athletic programs (Football, Volleyball, Basketball, Tennis, Baseball, & Golf) were consistently one of the top teams in the area.
The Laing staff has high expectations, develops a rigorous curriculum, and creates a safe and supportive learning environment. Through intentionally planning, rigorous instruction, and specific interventions we are working to have every student reading on grade level. The faculty, parents, community members, and local businesses work together to help the development of our future South Carolina graduates and world leaders!
James Whitehair Jr., Principal
Brandy Bocelli, School Improvement Council Chair
