Duplin County Schools lead state in Cognia STEM certification

KENANSVILLE — In an update on Duplin County Schools’ STEAMA learning initiative at the Board of Education’s monthly meeting Tuesday night, Kevin Smith, assistant superintendent for Educational Innovation and Accountability, shared exciting news: Duplin County is the first and currently only North Carolina school district to achieve Cognia’s globally-recognized STEM Certification, illustrating the county’s commitment to ensuring the career-readiness and academic success of every student from grade school to graduation and beyond.

Smith, along with Nicole Murray, chief academic officer for STEAMA Curriculum and Instruction/Professional Development and Lindsay Skidmore, Director of 6-8 Curriculum/Digital Innovation, gave a presentation highlighting the initiative’s success following its implementation nearly seven years ago as part of the board’s regular meeting on March 4.

The achievement places Duplin County Schools in the company of just one other district in the entire eight-state mid-Atlantic region, consisting of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky, in attaining STEM certification through the Atlanta-based non-profit’s international accreditation program.

In recognition of the prestigious accomplishment, Cognia has provided a flag and certificate commemorating the district’s certification, both now on display in the O.P. Johnson Building boardroom in Kenansville, as well as certificates for each school in the county.

“Duplin County was recognized last week at the Cognia Impact Conference along with just two other North Carolina and South Carolina districts with the Cognia Circle of Excellence Award for 2024,” Smith said. “We thank doctor Obasohan for the STEAMA vision and for leading this work, and our board for supporting our mission to graduate every student ready for careers, college, and life.”

The STEAMA (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math, and Agriculture) initiative launched in July of 2018 through a rebranding committee led by Superintendent Austin Obasohan.

“The STEAMA model connects student interest with local, well-paying careers, particularly in agricultural and related industries, which are the largest employers and economic drivers in Duplin County,” said Skidmore. “By increasing awareness of these opportunities before graduation, we encourage students to build their futures close to home.”

Part of the program’s success is owed to strong partnerships with local businesses, colleges, and universities that provide students opportunities to explore higher learning and professional careers early on through hands-on, real-world experience. The county has seen a surge in college enrollment through the Career and College Promise Program at James Sprunt Community College, with over 27,000 semester hours of college credit earned by students in the past five years, explained Smith during the presentation.

The program has saved families nearly $2 million in tuition, according to Smith, and has resulted in $11.2 million worth of scholarship funds being awarded to students in Duplin County who now have access to expanded vocational pathways through the JSCC sponsorship.

“Last year alone, we had 962 students complete a CTE (Career and Technical Education) pathway, and those students had a proficiency rate of 75% on their state and local assessments.” said Murray, indicating that Duplin County is ranked among the top 10 in North Carolina for their rate of credential attainment. “Our students earned 3,651 industry-recognized credentials last year,” continued Murray, adding that the number is expected to grow this year as students continue to earn credentials in areas like ServSafe, the health sciences, automotive service, Adobe and many others.

“I think we’ve come a long way since 2017,” said board member Pam Edwards in her comments post-presentation, expressing gratitude for the program. “The only thing we need to do now is get the message out to the public. They need to know what good things we’re doing.”

Chairman Brent Davis thanked everyone for their hard work, and Obasohan for his vision.

“I don’t know another school system that really pulls agriculture in like we did,” said Davis.“The fact that we highlight it here, I think is really a testament to our program and our staff,” he continued.

Other highlights from the March 4 meeting included the presentation of the Clean School Award to Wallace-Rose Hill High School by Sandra Ganus, a Saffelle representative and Ronald Moore, Duplin County Schools maintenance director. Accepting the award on behalf of the school were Carolyn Pollock, Michael Brinson, James Linen, and Carol Newkirk.

“I talk to you about teams, and boy, is this a team that won this time!” said Ganus as she presented the Wallace-Rose Hill custodial staff with their award. “High schools are tough to win!” she added.

The meeting also included the unanimous approval of a robust consent agenda by the board, as well as an executive session regarding the prevention of disclosure of confidential student information following incidents of school violence.