STEM: Science. Technology. Engineering. Mathematics.
From Lower to Upper School the Engineering Program at Farragut offers students an opportunity to explore and experience engineering through a comprehensive curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking, creativity, innovation, and real-world problem-solving.
Upper School Engineering
This project-based program is based on bringing ideas from thought to reality. Students are engaged on multiple levels, exposing them to subjects that they typically would not pursue, providing them with a strong foundation for achieving their academic goals in any chosen field of study and, if pursued, establishing a proven path to college and career success in STEM-related industries.
Students explore concepts that they will see again in college and develop a breadth of the hard and soft skills that form a strong foundation for success in college and the workplace. The curriculum is designed to mirror the first two years of collegiate engineering, in order to prepare students for the rigor of undergraduate engineering degree programs and provide them with the knowledge, training, and tools to excel as undergraduate engineering students.
Upper School Engineering Courses include:
- Applied Engineering Tech I-Intro
- Applied Engineering Tech II-Intermediate
- Applied Engineering Tech III-Advanced
- Robotics and Automation
Admiral Farragut Academy’s Upper School STEM Lab has a fully equipped design lab with the tools and materials needed for students to engage in a truly unique experience. Students can bring their ideas to life with actual working prototypes. The lab is also equipped with updated computer technology including a MakerBot and Ultimaker 3D printer for students to employ rapid prototyping. This virtual design is made in a CAD (Computer-Aided Design) file using AutoCADInventor, a professional 3D modeling program. All engineering classes, including the Lower School and after school Robotics Clubs, Drone Club and Builders Club have access to the tools, materials, and machines to make their 3D designs come to life!
Some of the campus projects STEM students continue to develop and engineer include:
- Aquaponics/Hydroponic Systems
- Independent Biome Mangrove Propegule Sediment Testing System used in data collection and research for the FAQWA Grant
- SeaPerch Underwater ROV Systems
- Drama Stage and Set Design
- Animal Habitat Design
Drone Club
Admiral Farragut Academy provides students the opportunity to explore Unmanned Arial Vehicle Training. This club is open to all students and gives them the chance to visually observe and pilot various modes of drones. Students follow all FAA regulations with an emphasis on safety and are given the option of getting FAA Drone certification.
Builders Club
Students at Admiral Farragut Academy have the opportunity to participate in the Builders Club which utilizes the Upper School STEM Lab tools and materials in the maker space to work on individual or campus-wide projects. Students work with a certified Technology Education Teacher focusing on design, tools and material safety.
Lower School Engineering
PreK, Kindergarten, and 1st grade all complete Science, Technology, and Math activities based on the STEM curriculum. Specific Engineering classes are introduced in 2nd grade. Engineering is Elementary® (EiE) curriculum fosters engineering and technological literacy by integrating engineering and technology concepts and skills with elementary science topics as well as literacy and social studies. National usage of STEM curriculum: Students: 1,833,755, Teachers: 26,744, States: 50 + Washington, D.C. Technology classes begin in Kindergarten and continue through 7th grade.
The Lower School STEM Lab includes 21 robust computers and 4 large collaborative work stations for group activities and projects. The computers come equipped with Autocad Inventor, RobotC, and Alice Computer Programming software on each one.
Lower School Kindergarten-7th Grade STEM Curriculum:
- Kindergarten spends the first semester learning how to use the keyboard and the mouse, then spends the rest of the year learning the basics of coding.
- 1st grade learns how to type properly and is introduced to their Google Drive accounts.
- 2nd grade designs and creates hand pollinators and sturdy walls, and learns how to use their Google Drive accounts and the tools within.
- 3rd grade designs their own play-doh, bridges, and alarm circuits, and learns the basics of coding to program Dash and Dot robots.
- 4th grade creates a solar oven, designs windmills, lighting systems, and frog habitats, and learns how to code using the Alice computer programming software written by Carnegie Mellon University.
- 5th grade designs simple machines, parachutes, submersibles, and Maglev trains, and learns how to code websites and games using code.org‘s curriculum.
- 6th-grade Engineering students create 3D models of objects using the Autocad Inventor software program and learn how to program circuit boards to create interactive games.
- 7th-grade Engineering students build Vex Robotics race cars and race them against each other. They also learn how to use animation software to create their own animations.
Robotics Club
Admiral Farragut Academy’s Robotics Club participates in the FIRST® Robotics Program. FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a worldwide program and is used in all 50 U.S. states and in 55 countries.
The FIRST® LEGO® League is used in Lower School and divides students into teams. The year-long project is to design, as a team, their own solution to a scientific question or problem and build an autonomous LEGO® robot that performs a series of missions.
