09/18/2026
🎉 ELM STREET ELEMENTARY IS OFFICIALLY STEM CERTIFIED! 🎉
💙💚 Four Years of Hard Work. One School-Wide Achievement. A Commitment to Every Student.
On Wednesday, something truly special happened at Elm Street Elementary. After four years of hard work, collaboration, reflection, and growth, we officially received our Georgia STEM Certification banner! 🥹💙
This journey began in 2022 with a vision: to build a school where STEM is for everyone. Not just for the students who participate in Science Fair or Tech Fair. Not just for the students who already love science and math. But for every single student, in every classroom, every day.
We wanted to create a culture where students ask questions, solve problems, collaborate, take risks, learn from failure, and see themselves as capable innovators.
And we knew from the beginning that this work could never happen in isolation.
It required teachers who were willing to learn and grow together. Administrators who supported innovation. Support staff who contributed in countless ways. Families and community partners who believed in our students. And, most importantly, students who showed us what is possible when we give them meaningful opportunities to learn.
Over the past four years, we have built interdisciplinary learning experiences, developed authentic community connections, expanded entrepreneurship opportunities, documented student learning, and created systems that help STEM become part of the fabric of our school.
We've watched students design, build, test, revise, communicate, and share. We've watched teachers take risks and collaborate across content areas. We've watched our school community grow.
And on Wednesday, we had the incredible honor of hearing Georgia State School Superintendent Richard Woods recognize that work firsthand.
💬 Superintendent Woods shared:
"That is a hard certification to get. It is not something that comes easy because it involves everyone in the school."
He went on to recognize the collaboration of our teachers, administrators, support staff, and community partners, highlighting how our students engage in interdisciplinary learning that connects academic content to authentic, real-world applications.
He also celebrated the culture we have worked so hard to build:
"The school has cultivated a positive culture where students are actively engaged in learning. Teachers are committed to STEM implementation, and administrators provide strong support for innovation."
And perhaps the words that capture our mission most beautifully:
"Elm Street has established a strong foundation for sustainable STEM excellence by fostering collaboration, innovation, and shared commitment to preparing all students for life and future careers."
Preparing ALL students. That has always been the heart of this work. ❤️
Superintendent Woods also reminded us that STEM certification is a team effort, announcing that staff members would receive STEM lapel pins as a small token of recognition for the work they do together. In fact, we were honored to learn that only four schools in Georgia have received these lapel pins so far, making this recognition an especially meaningful one for our Elm Street team.
These pins are more than a symbol of certification. They represent the collective effort, dedication, and belief that made this achievement possible.
Because this achievement belongs to all of us.
To our teachers who said yes to something new.
To our administrators who supported the vision.
To our support staff who helped make the work possible.
To our families and community partners who invested in our students.
To our students who continue to surprise us with their creativity, curiosity, and courage.
This banner represents YOU. 💙
And while we are celebrating this milestone, we also know that certification isn't the finish line. It is a commitment to keep learning, keep improving, and keep creating opportunities for every child at Elm Street to discover what they are capable of.
Our certification is valid through 2031, and we are excited about the work ahead!
Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey since 2022, and to those who helped lay the foundation when Elm Street first earned STEM certification in 2016. This work has been growing and evolving for a decade, and we are so grateful to everyone who has contributed to that story along the way. Thank you for believing in Elm Street, believing in our students, and believing that STEM truly is for everyone. 💙💚
We are so proud of our school. We are so proud of our students. And we are so grateful to be part of this community.
WE DID IT, ELM STREET! 🎉
Richard Woods for State School Superintendent
Georgia Department of Education STEM STEAM
Rome City Schools - Rome, GA
Elm Street Elementary School
