Academy for the Arts, Science and Technology
The Academy for the Arts, Science and Technology (AAST) or The Academy is a branch school of the Horry County Schools system in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. It has a focus on specific career majors and has qualifying status as a Blue Ribbon School and as a New American High School. However, despite the popularity and successes of the school, by a vote of the Horry County School Board on October 21, 2019, the program was partially dismantled and converted into a two-year program.
Principal: Kelly Wilson
Description
The Academy for Arts, Science, and Technology (AAST) is a nationally certified Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) program school located in Myrtle Beach, SC. Approximately 700 students from the nine feeder high schools in Horry County, SC community attend AAST. All students enter through an application process. AAST has been converted in October 2019 from a highly successful, nationally recognized 9-12 STEM school program organized around specific career majors. The revised AAST will adopt an 11th-12th grade format with the District moving away from AAST’s centralized STEM program with like-minded, STEM-focused students to a more decentralized program where underclassmen will choose from STEM-styled classes as offered at base high schools. These changes from the acceptance of grades 9th-12th to the acceptance of only grades 11th-12th will be implemented for AAST's 2020-2021 school year. AAST will continue its mission is to ensure that students are successfully prepared to enter their career of choice or next level of education in pursuit of life goals through personalized, integrated, technologically-supported, standards-based programs of study in the STEM/ STEAM career areas. The career majors program consists of nine majors which include Advanced Art, Advanced Career Pathways, AP Capstone, Theater, Web & Digital Communications, Entertainment Technology, Pre-Medicine, Pre-Engineering, Computer Science, and a general STEM Studies pathway. Many of the career majors are encompassed under the STEM program of study; however, AAST's former program design recognized that students' interests in STEM areas are greatly enhanced when they are offered the opportunity to explore arts and humanities electives to support their interest in pursuing careers in STEM/STEAM areas.
AAST's student ACT and SAT scores are consistently above the state and national average. AAST has been recognized as a New American High School, a National Blue Ribbon School, and American School Boards Association's Magna Award finalist, and an SREB High Schools That Work Platinum Pacesetter School in 2014. In April 2016, AAST was accredited by AdvancED as a whole school STEM learning environment through a rigorous, research-based, evaluation process. At the time of accreditation, AAST is one of 50 nationally certified STEM schools under AdvancED. AdvancED STEM Certification is the first internationally recognized mark of quality for STEM schools and programs, signaling the growing emphasis placed on STEM education by educators, politicians and business leaders around the world. In earning this certification, AAST has demonstrated its commitment to preparing its students for their future by ensuring its students will have the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in their post-secondary pursuits and as workforce contributors in the 21st-century economy.
AAST has a longstanding reputation in Horry County as being a school of innovation and excellence. Students at AAST have led Horry County Schools in robotics, health science and the visual as well as performing arts. AAST faculty and staff work extremely hard to make the educational experience worth the student sacrifice of leaving their base school environment to pursue a major or the rigorous study of the STEM disciplines. The school has adopted the koi fish as its unofficial mascot. Like the koi fish, which will grow as large as its environment will allow, the students at AAST are encouraged to take advantage of the many great learning opportunities the school has to offer as a means of fostering their individual growth.[1] [2]
History
The Academy for the Arts, Science, and Technology (AAST) is a program school located in Horry County South Carolina and is part of the Horry County School system. Since its inception, students have applied to attend AAST based on their interest in one of the career-focused major programs the academy has to offer. In addition to career-focused major courses, AAST offers students a variety of rigorous academic options designed to prepare them for their post-secondary goals and to complement their major course of study. In 2011, AAST expanded its focus with the addition of its four year STEM Program. This district program was put in place to serve 9th–12th-grade students who display extreme interest and high aptitude in the areas of science, math, engineering, and technology. Like the previous major program participants, STEM students are selected through an application process. For the 2018-2019 school year, AAST added a new major called: AP Capstone. This major is the first major at AAST to be made up of AP weighted classes. Additionally, for the 2019-2020 school year, the Advanced Career Pathways majors will be introduced and will include: Aerospace, Clean Energy, and Innovations in Science and Technology. These majors slightly differ from the existing majors at AAST. They start in the student's 9th grade or freshman year of high school and at least one is required, unlike all the other majors at AAST. They can be opted out of before a student's sophomore year in high school in favor of an introductory class to a major or the student may continue to pursue one of three majors from their 9th-12th grade years at AAST. Furthermore, upcoming Juniors can sign up for these Advanced Career Pathways majors and two are required each year.
References
- "STEM Certification AdvancED". Retrieved 2016-05-12.
- "Academy for the Arts, Science, & Technology Official Website".