Mescalero Apache High School Joins E4USA for 2020-21 Academic Year

by Mescalero Apache Tribe | May 6, 2020 3:04 pm

Mescalero, NM. Engineering for US All (E4USA), a national initiative to bring engineering courses to high school students, is expanding its reach for the 2020-2021 academic year. Last fall, E4USA launched a novel engineering curriculum in high schools across the United States. This multi-institutional effort was initiated by five universities: Arizona State University, University of Maryland, Morgan State University, Vanderbilt University, and Virginia Tech. Mescalero Apache High school has recently become the newest E4USA high school partner[1] and plans to bring the design based introductory engineering course to its students this fall.

The E4USA program aims to expand access to engineering for high school students, encourages them to see themselves as engineers, and helps them recognize the role of engineering in their everyday lives.

“I’ve learned the problem solving process, which is applicable to any field,” says one E4USA student at Brentwood High School in Tennessee. “I’ve also learned about working in teams.”

Although the program’s pilot year is still in progress, E4USA students are already positively impacting their communities. Students in one Pennsylvania high school have partnered with a local elementary school[2] to make education more accessible for students. “My students and I have benefited greatly from our experience,” says their E4USA teacher, Jim Muscarella.

The E4USA program also fills a current gap in engineering education training by recruiting high school teachers of all disciplines. No prior engineering experience is required to become an E4USA teacher. In addition to intensive online and in-person professional learning opportunities for participating teachers, E4USA uses a partnership model that pairs high school teachers with engineering professors at local universities to provide support for the instruction of the course. Mescalero has partnered with University of New Mexico (UNM) to support Mr. Nate Raynor who will be teaching the inaugural E4USA course at Mescalero for the 2020-2021 school year.

I can’t wait to bring this program to our students. It will be a great learning tool for them, even if they decide not to go into the Engineering field, said Mr. Nate Raynor, Mescalero Apache School Science lead.

The E4USA curriculum is available to schools free of charge. Participating pilot teachers receive a stipend as well as funds to purchase classroom materials.

This year, E4USA has reached over 400 students, including several seniors who plan to study engineering and have been accepted to colleges like Drexel, NYU, Penn State, University of Tennessee, Auburn University, Temple University and Lehigh University. As a new E4USA high school partner, Mescalero Apache High school will help E4USA reach over 2,000 students in the 2020-2021 academic year.

E4USA is supported by the National Science Foundation. To learn more about E4USA, please visit e4usa.umd.edu[3]. If you or your child is a student at Mescalero Apache School and would like to enroll in the E4USA course, please contact Nate Raynor at (575) 464-4431

Email: [email protected]

About Mescalero Apache School

Mission

The mission of the Mescalero Apache School is to execute a comprehensive educational program by placing strong emphasis on academic curriculum as measured by state, national, and Bureau of Indian Education standards, and to infuse the Apache language, culture, and traditions of the Mescalero Apache tribe.

In addition, the Mescalero Apache School will foster an environment where students, parents, staff, and the community are partners in the educational process and support system that will ensure that all students are prepared for post-secondary education and/or gainful employment upon graduation from the Mescalero Apache High School.

Source URL: https://mescaleroapachetribe.com/12172/mescalero-apache-high-school-joins-e4usa-for-2020-21-academic-year/

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