Girls in STEM

In middle school, too many girls turn away from science, technology, and math. We do not let that happen at GMS. Our girls graduate believing they can be successful at anything, and that includes being scientists, mathematicians, and engineers. Our three-year STEM curriculum draws on collaboration, hands-on learning, and real-world problems to create engaging classroom experiences that girls both enjoy and complete successfully at a high standard.

GMS is unique among American middle schools because computer science is a required part of our curriculum for all three years. Computer programming is an essential 21^st century literacy, and we want our students to be creators of technology. Our computer science program offers multiple entry points that appeal to girls’ interests, including art and storytelling in addition to gaming and robotics. Early projects are completed in visual languages like Scratch, and by eighth grade, students are programming in Python, a language widely used in the tech industry.

Our math program is grounded in making connections and in-depth problem solving. Classes are heterogeneous, and teachers meet individual student needs in the context of community. The result is that our girls grow as mathematical thinkers each year to the point that every GMS student completes a high school level algebra course in eighth grade.

Similarly, students in our science program practice the skills that professional scientists use every day, engaging in multiple hands-on explorations, inquiries, and projects as they explore the natural world. Over three years, they learn to approach scientific inquiry, developing the tools needed to excel in the most rigorous science classes in high school and beyond.

The majority of these classes are taught by women who are experts in their fields, demonstrating to our students every day that successful scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians look just like them.