Standard 3

School/program engages diverse STEM community in order to support and sustain STEM programs and initiatives.

Somerset Gables is proud of our multiple community partnerships that allow our students to engage in diverse learning opportunities that serve to strengthen our STEM curriculum. One of our most active supporters and partners is the City of West Miami. The last few years our students have experienced real-life STEM connections in our community. Each grade level has strategic visits to connect in-class learning to the community. In third grade, students take part in mock commission meetings. Students are prepared in class to argue various general issues, often integrating ecological topics such as recycling and sustainability. Then, students are selected for various roles in a commission meeting to present their perspectives. Sixth grade is invited to shadow employees in city hall, fifth grade tours the water treatment center, and the lower grades extends their plants unit to understand how they maintain their parks.
Another vital partnership is with Florida International University (FIU). Our students have worked with FIU students and staff numerous times over the past three years. We have had representatives visit our school to complete STEM projects with our students as enrichment for what is already being done in the school. Students have attended several STEM specific field trips. There, students were exposed to many careers that utilize STEM and the projects they complete utilizing those concepts. Last school year, students also completed a beach clean-up with an FIU representative as part of our philanthropic efforts. Marine debris collected was repurposed to create original pieces of art by the students.
In an ongoing effort to seek opportunities for student success, we have partnered with the Deering Estate during the 2019-2020 school year. The fifth-grade students attended a field trip where they were tasked with building terrariums for a plant to understand their ecosystem and how they grow. Our middle school students dissected squids to make cross-curricular and real-world connections. They also went on a nature walk to better understand South Florida ecosystems. Our school has officially joined the Nurturing Environmental Stewards of Today and Tomorrow (NESTT) program with the Deering Estate. The NESTT program brings textbooks to life for students to spark interest in future STEM careers. 
Students in our institution are provided with many learning activities outside of typical classroom activities. We are continuously seeking long-lasting partnerships while also finding innovative ways to include the primary grades in the partnerships we already have.