Our Current STEM Focus
Our mission is to help schools define, grow, and share powerful STEM programs that align with local needs while meeting global standards. Indiana STEM exists to remove the roadblocks to certification and provide schools with a strategic partner committed to lasting, student-centered growth.
Maple Crest Elementary School
Maple Crest Elementary School is part of the Kokomo School Corporation in Kokomo, Indiana. The school serves approximately 127 students in grades K–5, offering a small, community-centered learning experience. Maple Crest Elementary is devoted to inspiring creativity, encouraging academic achievement, and supporting the whole child through a caring and student-focused environment.
What makes our STEM program stand out
STEM Implementation K-12-to-Career
STEM is a pillar to the WD approach to education and preparing students as functioning members of the community by being exposed to the increasingly technology driven world. Between the three STEM labs, every student is exposed to the career opportunities available with STEM.
STEM Promotion
STEM Day and other events throughout the year expose students on what is to come as
their educational journey in the building continues. Elementary students are exposed to
opportunities at the high school, and high school students are exposed to industry
employers looking for talent or mentorship opportunities.
Diversified Options for all Secondary Ed Students, College and Workforce Bound
WD hosts several different NLPS pathways that allow students to explore their interests in
engineering, digital media, cybersecurity, information technology, business operations, and more. There is not another school of this size offering such a vast array of career exploration
opportunities.
The Spaghetti Garden – From Seed to Schoolwide Celebration
At Maple Crest Elementary, students experience the full cycle of learning through the Spaghetti Garden Project, where they plant, care for, harvest, and share fresh food grown right on school grounds. Students learn firsthand where food comes from as they nurture tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and spaghetti squash in the school garden as part of their STEM learning.
What makes this project especially meaningful is the collaboration with Maple Crest Middle School. Once harvested, the produce is turned over to the middle school’s Culinary program, where students turn the garden ingredients into fresh, homemade marinara sauce, roasted squash, and garlic bread. The project culminates in a schoolwide tasting celebration, where students enjoy a meal made from ingredients they grew themselves.
This seed-to-table experience fosters responsibility, curiosity, teamwork, healthy living, and a deep sense of pride — showing students how STEM learning connects to the real world in delicious and memorable ways.
International Dot Day – Creativity, Community & STEM
Each year, Maple Crest Elementary celebrates International Dot Day by inviting grandparents and special guests into the school to learn and create alongside students. Inspired by The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, this event encourages students to “make their mark” through creativity, collaboration, and hands-on STEM experiences.
Guests rotate through STEM learning stations, including a green screen studio experience where students and their special visitors step “into the book,” creating digital scenes that bring their imaginations to life. One of the signature experiences is led by 5th grade students, who proudly share their year-long work caring for the Zinnia Garden. Students teach their guests how to harvest the flowers and create their own Dot Day bouquet to take home as a meaningful keepsake.
This celebration blends literacy, STEM, art, and family engagement—strengthening school community connections while empowering students to see themselves as creators and innovators who make their mark in the world.
Maple Kats News Crew – Creating With Technology
At Maple Crest Elementary, STEM learning is about creating, not just consuming technology. Our Maple Kats News Crew brings this to life as students plan, write, film, edit, and broadcast the school’s weekly news show. During community time, students collaborate to develop scripts, create digital graphics, record segments, and edit the final production—working just like a real studio team.
Students also work alongside Middle School STEM assistants, strengthening mentorship, leadership, and continuity in digital media skills across the district. Through this experience, students build confidence in communication, creativity, teamwork, and real-world problem-solving as they work through the challenges of producing a polished broadcast.
Their work extends beyond the school as well—this year, the district invited the News Crew to create Internet Safety video content to be shared with staff and students across all buildings. The Maple Kats News Crew demonstrates how young learners can use technology with purpose, voice, and impact.
What STEM means at Maple Crest Elementary School
At Maple Crest Middle School, we envision a future where every learner is immersed in STEM-centered classrooms that spark curiosity, creativity, and confidence. Our mission is to provide hands-on, inquiry-driven experiences that connect directly to the world around students—from robotics and sustainable energy projects to engineering and advanced manufacturing pathways that reflect Kokomo’s electric vehicle and high-tech resurgence.
We are committed to equipping students with durable skills in communication, collaboration, and work ethic, preparing them to thrive in high school and beyond. Through project-based learning, public showcases, and industry mentorships, our students will master academic content while becoming adaptable leaders aligned to Indiana’s Enrollment, Employment, and Enlistment pathways, with early connections to Kokomo High School’s STEM Academy and career-focused opportunities.
Maple Crest will serve as a hub of community-connected learning, leveraging partnerships with local industries, higher education, and civic organizations. Our classrooms will bridge student passions with Kokomo’s growing workforce needs, ensuring graduates are ready to step into high-wage, high-demand careers while remaining rooted in creativity, innovation, and service.
Above all, we see Maple Crest as more than a school of choice. It will be recognized as the premier pathway to future success in Kokomo. Here, students will be known, challenged, and supported as confident, resilient, and well-rounded individuals who grow into inventors, problem solvers, and lifelong learners.
Maple Crest STEM Middle School: “Where everyone and every moment matters.”
