Midlands Stem Institute (MSI) is helping all students develop the world class skills of the profile of a South Carolina Graduate by exposing scholars to opportunities that require critical thinking, communicating, collaborating, and being creative. We are focused on meeting the individual and collective needs of our scholars. Midlands STEM was recently welcomed as an Amazon Future Engineers School in partnership to provide computer coding and programming courses to our middle school students. We have also partnered with the National Education Foundation as a CTE STEM Academy, with the opportunity to provide over 200 CTE courses to our high school students in preparation for career and college study. The Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce is a local partner and stakeholder that we are working with to bring opportunities for on-the-job training and internships for our high school students looking to enter the workforce upon graduation.
MSI provides our scholars with a high-quality STEM education, and life-long health and wellness skills. Our teachers work with scholars in a variety of instructional settings including small group, one-on-one, and whole group instruction in an effort for scholars to gain mastery in our rigorous STEM curriculum. Our faculty and support staff work together to help our scholars perform at increasingly higher levels of achievement. MSI uses multiple measures to identify and monitor scholar performance, including school- wide assessments, Measures of Academic Performance (MAP), Kindergarten Readiness literacy assessments for kindergarten scholars, Fountas and Pinnell reading and comprehension assessments, USA Test Prep for our students taking End of Course exams, school-wide writing benchmarks, and formative assessments to periodically measure, chart, and share scholar performance data among faculty and with parents. Teachers and staff work with scholars to plan instruction based on what each scholar needs to provide daily, schoolwide intervention in small group settings so that they can ensure acceleration based on the goals detailed in each scholar’s individualized student growth plan (ISGP). MSI implemented the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to offer a comprehensive approach to identifying and providing intervention services to students according to needs based on a triangulation of assessment data.
MSI scholars engage in broad-based research and use a variety of technology devices including iPads, Chromebooks, and laptops in order to enhance their technological skills. Our scholars complete quarterly STEM-based projects that require hands-on, project-based learning. MSI faculty, staff, administration, parents, and community members share the vision of ensuring that MSI scholars have the skill sets and tools enabling them to compete in a global culture. STEM instruction, Latin culture, Spanish language instruction, physical fitness (including diet and exercise), Technology instruction, and character education are foundations for helping MSI scholars meet the World-Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.
MSI also offers a variety of career centered courses for our high school students through the Career and Technology (CATE) Center and access to dual credit college level courses through Midlands Technical College. Our Fairfield County graduates are able to take advantage of a free technical education through Midlands Tech as part of the Fairfield Promise Agreement and additionally are eligible to receive a guaranteed $100,000 scholarship upon acceptance and admission to Erskine College.
The Fine Arts are also a vital part of our well-rounded educational program and we offer music, chorus, band, strings, guitar, and opportunities for art and theatre. Our sports program has grown from baseball and softball to middle school and JV basketball, cross country, and archery. MSI boasts an award-winning chess team and a budding Robotics competition team. Other extracurricular activities include Student Council, Girl Scouts, Young Scientists Club, Young Writers Club, and Yearbook Club. All of which will be competing statewide. Becoming confident and competent individuals ensures our scholars are ready to compete in a global market.
MSI is fortunate to have a core of dedicated parents and volunteers who continue to help our school and scholars grow and succeed.
MSI faculty, staff, and the administration embrace teaching scholars in ways that inspire them to learn. At MSI, scholars are motivated to learn, and take responsibility for their own academic learning, personal behavior, and social interactions. MSI infuses character education through the three “R”s – Respect, Responsibility, and Relationships. Our school wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) system, which was implemented for the during the 2019-2020 school year, has aided in changing the scope of behavior and discipline practices at the school. Teachers are trained to use the tiered intervention system of the PBIS Model to decrease unwanted behaviors and supports to increase desired behaviors and outcomes. MSI also implemented a schoolwide Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program for teachers, staff, and students. It was a yearlong implementation to understand and support the social and emotional needs of everyone at the school. MSI boasts a high teacher and staff retention rate by promoting a culture built on mutual respect, trust, high expectations, and efficacy. Midlands STEM’s faculty and staff are a strong, united team that remain dedicated to teaching and inspiring scholars to learn in ways that move each of them forward academically, socially, and personally.
Cynthia Prince, Executive Director
Kevin Thomas, Board of Directors Chairman
