Saint John Paul II Regional School, one of the 41 elementary schools under the Diocese of Rockville Centre, will be the first Catholic school in the New York Metropolitan Area to integrate STREAM learning into the curriculum when it opens its doors this fall. The rest of the Diocese’s schools will incorporate it over the next two years.
A successor to the well-known STEM curriculum, STREAM adds both religion and art to the already existing focus on science, technology, engineering, and math.
“The reasons for the shift are that we cannot separate faith and reason and because a STREAM curriculum will align subjects to build context,” says Gary Layton, the director of marketing for the department of education for the Diocese.
For example, if a unit was to study Ancient Greece, English class would read writers and texts. Religion class would study religious practices. Art class would learn about columns and the different architectures made famous. Simultaneously, gym class might be hosting a mini-Olympics.
“Ultimately, it’s not about us imparting information to the kids. It is about us hopefully imparting knowledge and giving them the ability to make their own inquiries into things in their future and understanding the process,” says Layton.
