Track to Triumph

By: Carly Ulrich

      Red Mountain is offering a new diploma program for students who will be freshmen during the 2012-2013 school year. The new diploma is called the STEM – the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Diploma. The new program is an accelerated, competency-based course of study.

     “This course of study is open to all incoming freshmen; however, it is designed for students who are highly motivated and have STEM-focused educational goals,” said Principal Dr. Slemmer. “The STEM Diploma allows students to be proactive about their own education, be better prepared in their area of interest and position themselves for post-secondary institutions suited to their goals.”

     Students meeting the requirements of the STEM Diploma have the opportunity to study in various areas beginning their junior year. Advanced Placement, community college/university courses, vocational education, dual-enrollment and Red Mountain STEM courses will be offered to students who have met the state requirements for high school graduation. STEM courses at Red Mountain include: biomedical, bio-technology, engineering/robotics and selected courses from the 21 Advanced Placement classes offered at the school.

     Some of the key features of Red Mountain’s STEM program include: students advance upon mastery of clearly defined skills and knowledge aligned to college readiness standards, it offers opportunities for students to graduate with college/university credit with an emphasis in the STEM disciplines, it gives students the potential to graduate early and pursue STEM fields at any Arizona public state university and it provides work/field experience in the STEM areas.

     A quintessential STEM student, Red Mountain junior Kimran Sidhu, is on track to graduate this fall, one year early. Sidhu planned for her early graduation at the beginning of her sophomore year with her counselor, Ms. Bianchi. Together they organized all of her classes and decided which ones she would take in school, online or in summer school. She then stuck with the plan and carried it out until now.

    “I decided to graduate early, because in the beginning of sophomore year I realized that I had very few credits left, and I thought that it would be a great opportunity for me to get a head start on my planned career,” said Sidhu. “I only made this decision because I was absolutely certain that I knew what I had planned for my future.”

     After she graduates this fall, Sidhu will attend the Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI) in Dublin, Ireland where she will study premedicine. Her main career goal for after college is to become an Oncologist, a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. She is also interested in becoming a traveling doctor, visiting countries in need of medicine and medical assistance.

     “What excites me most about going to RCSI is that I am entering a whole new world that fits my interest, and I’ll be around people who share my interest,” said Sidhu. “Also, I have loved to travel since I was a child and being able to study abroad in one of the world’s most internationally renowned cities is a really big excitement for me.”

     To be a STEM student takes commitment, time and a solid plan. STEM students are expected to take extra classes such as summer school and/or online classes. If interested in the STEM track, a plan must be evident and one should be fully devoted to bettering their education.

     “My main suggestion for any student that wishes to graduate early is to make sure they know what they are doing afterwards and not just do it because they want to leave high school; there should be a solid reason as to why they want to graduate early, otherwise it would benefit them most to stay,” said Sidhu. “I am graduating early because I am 110 percent sure that I know where I am going and what I am doing. Another thing is if a student chooses to graduate early, they have to realize that they can’t take it easy; you have to stay on top of your work, otherwise it will really pile up at the end. Also if you do have a plan after high school, make sure you have a plan B and C as well, if things don’t work out. For example, if I didn’t get my admission to RCSI, I would be attending Barrett Honors College at ASU.”

     For more information on the STEM program, visit www.mpsaz.org/rmhs/academics/stem/.