TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - A new school for fifth and sixth graders in the Perrysburg School district has been recognized by the state.
The Ohio Department of Education named Hull Prairie Intermediate as the first STEM (Science, Technology, Arts, Engineering and Research) designated school in northwest Ohio.
With a non traditional setting, Hull Prairie will take a different approach to learning.
"Almost like a Starbucks atmosphere, students can go out visit with peers, there will be guided reading libraries out there where they can select books and hang out on great soft furniture," said Kadee Anstadt, the Executive Director of Teaching and Learning for Perrysburg Schools. "There will be small spaces if they are working on a project. They can gather around a display and gather around and plug in their laptops and share ideas."
The material students will learn at the new school can prepare them for a future that is technology based.
Hull Prairie Intermediate was recognized for its innovative building and learning design.
"There were 29 applicants which is the most the Ohio Department of Education has had and it was not a shoe in it was very difficult to get, " said Anstadt.
Building the school's model from the ground up rather than just adding the curriculum to an existing building is what earned the school the STEM designation.
"I would want to know that my child is going to a school that cared that deeply to take those types of risks and be out there in front," Anstadt said.
Much of the new staff for Hull Prairie Intermediate will be transferred from other schools within the district and will go through specialized STEM training this summer.
