Founding

STEMCivics was born from the idea that given the right ingredients, a great school can be designed, replicated, expanded, and sustained. A core belief of STEMCivics is that for people to aspire to something, they must experience it. STEMCivics is dedicated to giving students experiences in STEM-related and civic engagement-related activities that will give them opportunities to learn more about themselves and their environment.

Another core belief is that STEM is a great way to build problem-solving skills in a project-oriented, interactive, and hands-on manner. Students can apply these critical thinking skills to other fields, such as poetry, journalism, and law, and may choose to pursue study in areas other than STEM after graduation.
 
A third core belief of STEMCivics is that many problems in the world are caused by people who want to be liked and want to be important and have no clue about how to do it. STEMCivics believes that students who are engaged in meaningful civic activities that better themselves, others, and their environment are liked by others and relevant in society. Students then become more aware of issues and learn that the best way to have their opinions known is in the ballot box.

The formula for success on which STEMCivics was founded is simple:  (1) build bonds with kids so they'll like us and respect us for the right reasons, (2)  they'll want to be around us more, (3) they'll come to school more, (4)  they'll learn more, and (5) they'll graduate.  For more on that, click here: https://bit.ly/2DDsw6I
 
Leigh Byron, Founder and Head of School
Dr. Byron has accomplished the educational leadership trifecta: superintendent in public schools, headmaster in private schools, and head of school in charter schools. In addition, he is the co-founder of a non-profit foundation whose mission is to use ballroom dancing to enhance the lives of children, and was the executive director of a non-profit foundation that uses soccer as a motivator to teach leadership skills to teenagers in low-income communities. He is a contributing editor at large for Broadway World. His doctorate was earned at Columbia University forever and a day ago.