The River Valley School District will open enrollment at its STEAM Academy to students from any school district starting with the coming school year. River Valley says that in the new school term, 28 percent of the district’s students in grades 10 through 12 will attend a STEAM Academy program.
Last week, the school board voted to create a welding technology program because it said ICTC is over capacity and could not accept 14 River Valley students. The board also created an electrical occupations and power line program to fill the gap created by ICTC’s discontinuation of its own electrical occupations program. A biomedical technology course will also begin at the STEAM Academy in the fall.
The new programs will bring to eight the number of program tracks at the STEAM Academy. You can read a school district news release regarding the new programs by visiting this story on our website.
STATEMENT PROVIDED BY THE RIVER VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT:
The River Valley School District Board of Directors voted to approve three new workforce development programs at the STEAM Academy for the 2023-2024 school year. The programs added are; Welding Technology, Pathways to Health Professions, and Biomedical Technology.
Welding Technology provides training in Oxy-Acetylene Cutting and Brazing, Shielded Metal Arc Welding (STICK), Air Carbon Arc Cutting, Gas Metal Arc Welding (MIG), Flux-Cored Arc Welding, Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (TIG), Plasma Arc Cutting, Robotics, and Augmented Reality. The program follows the standards established by the American Welding Society (AWS) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
Pathways to Health Professions introduces the skills needed to pursue careers in the healthcare industry, covering topics including medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, clinical procedures, OSHA regulations, infection control, and legal, ethical, and economic aspects of healthcare.
Biomedical Technology applies biological sciences, biochemistry, and genetics in preparation for new and enhanced environmental, clinical, and industrial products, including commercially exploiting microbes.
The Steam Academy will have the following courses available in the 2023-2024 school year:
- Electrical Occupations and Powerline
- Sports Medicine and Rehabilitative Therapy
- Cybersecurity
- Esports
- Teacher Preparation
- Welding Technology
- Pathways to Health Professions
- Biomedical Technology
Beginning in 2023-2024, the STEAM Academy will be open to students from any school district. Interested students can visit www.rvsteamacademy.org to request a tour or submit an application for the 2023-2024 school year.
River Valley School District School Board members voted to invest over two million dollars into the STEAM Academy within the Saltsburg community. Five school board members; Mr. Tim Canzano, Mrs. Connie Constantino, Mr. Rick Harper, Mrs. Molly Stiles, and Mrs. Mary Whitfield, have been true to their word over the last two years by supporting the Academies at Saltsburg which include Pre-Kindergarten, Cyber, and the STEAM Academy. We are pleased that these individuals were able to have an impact on the other three board members who also voted yes this evening. Next year, 28% of the River Valley High School students grades 10-12, will attend a program of their career interest at the STEAM Academy. This data clearly shows the immense success of the Academies’ programs and courses.
“As a result of River Valley’s comprehensive career exploration, our students show a desire to pursue academic and lab experience in preparation for high-demand occupations. In order to meet students’ career interests and goals, these five board members chose to establish a Welding Technology program since the Indiana County Technology Center (ICTC) could not accept our 14 River Valley students, due to program capacity. Furthermore, ICTC shuttered its Electrical Occupations program at the end of the 2016-2017 school year. To meet students’ career interests, strengths, and values, these innovative board members have responded by opening an Electrical Occupations and Powerline program for this year. With a vision to supplant regional workforce shortages, the five board of directors encourage all school districts to partner with us. All students are welcome to attend the RV STEAM Academy who are not able to enroll in their first career option at regional career and technology centers due to maximum capacity. We do not want to steer any student into an alternative career pathway merely due to a program’s limited space,” stated Superintendent, Philip Martell.
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