The Technology Association of Georgia and the TAG Education Collaborative announced Monday the finalists for the fourth annual STEM Education awards.  These awards were created to recognize and celebrate schools, extracurricular programs, public-private partnerships, science agencies and post-secondary education outreach programs for outstanding efforts and achievement in supporting and promoting science, technology, engineering, and math education in Georgia.

“We applaud each of this year’s finalists for their extraordinary efforts to bolster awareness about the importance of STEM and for their hard work to increase student participation in science, technology, engineering and math programs,” said Michael Robertson, director of TAG-Ed. “Georgia will need to fill some 211,000 STEM-related jobs by 2018, so we are pleased to showcase so many great schools, programs and organizations that are helping to develop a strong future workforce for our state. ”
 
Four Columbus area schools and organizations were among the finalists for the 2015 awards:
 
Elementary School
Canton ES STEM Academy- Canton
Clark Creek Elementary STEM Academy- Ackworth
Drew Charter School- Atlanta
Feldwood Elementary- College Park
Heard Advanced Learning Academy- Savannah
 
Middle School
Marietta Middle School- Marietta
Mill Springs Academy- Alpharetta
Rex Mill Middle School- Rex
St. Andrew's School-Savannah
Teasley Middle School- Canton
 
High School
Creekview High School- Canton
H.V. Jenkins High School- Savannah
Lithia Springs High School- Lithia Springs
Peachtree Ridge High School- Suwannee
The Galloway School- Atlanta
 
Post-Secondary Outreach
Atlanta Science Festival- Atlanta
Columbus Technical College- Columbus
Georgia Institute of Technology- Atlanta
Georgia Perimeter College Office of STEM Initiatives- Atlanta
Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center- Columbus
Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO)- Augusta
 
Extracurricular Program
East Coweta High School Science Olympiad Team- Sharpsburg
Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta STEM Program- Mableton
S.T.E.M. STARS- Atlanta
Sandy Springs Education Force/GTRI STEM Event- Sandy Springs
STE(A)M Truck- Decatur
The Urban Atlanta Geospatial STEM Academy- Atlanta
 
STEM Day Activity
Amana Academy- Alpharetta
Dimon Elementary Magnet- Columbus
Eagle Springs Elementary- Byron
Isle of Hope K-8- Savannah
Jackson Elementary- Lawrenceville
 
STEM Certified School Outreach
Brookwood Elementary- Dalton
GSMST - Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology- Gwinnett
Henderson Mill Elementary- Atlanta
Lanier High School Center for Design and Technology-Sugar Hill
Rex Mill Middle School’s STEM Academy Magnet Program- Rex
 
Corporate Outreach
Cisco Systems Inc.- Lawrenceville
Education Outreach, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions- Augusta
Environmental and Heritage Center-Lawrenceville
Georgia Power Company – East Region Corporate Outreach -Augusta
Pratt & Whitney- Columbus
 
“We received more than 180 nominations for our inaugural STEM Education Awards,” stated Amanda Hendley, Chief Operating Officer for TAG. “We are very pleased with the number and quality of all of our applicants. These finalists represent the best of the best in STEM education in Georgia.”
 
Winners will be announced during a special, half-day event on August 28 at the Carlos Community Center in Atlanta. To learn more, visit: http://www.tagonline.org/events/stem-education-awards/ .